A U.S. appeals court rejected Meta and TikTok’s request to dismiss lawsuits filed against them. The court ruled that the companies had sought an appeal at an excessively early stage of the proceedings.
The decision stated that the Communications Decency Act, which broadly protects social media companies from legal liability for user-generated content, could be used as a defense against liability but not to dismiss the lawsuits.
The court also concluded that it did not have jurisdiction to hear an appeal on the matter. On that basis, it rejected Meta and TikTok’s request to dismiss the cases.
Thousands of lawsuits filed against social media companies
Thousands of lawsuits had been filed in the United States over alleged harm caused by the designs of Meta-owned platforms and TikTok. Meta and TikTok had appealed to have the cases dismissed.

$6 million damages ruling
In a case previously heard in the United States, a jury found Meta and YouTube partially liable for their effects on the mental health of some users and awarded $6 million in damages.
In the case filed by 20-year-old K. G. M. and heard after thousands of lawsuits were consolidated, it was argued that using social media platforms had become addictive. It was alleged that this had caused mental health problems or worsened existing ones.