Meta Faces Legal Storm Over Teen Mental Health Impact

A federal judge ruled that Meta, Facebook's parent company, must face lawsuits from U.S. states alleging its platforms contribute to teen mental health problems. The court allowed most claims to proceed against Meta, rejecting bids to dismiss related lawsuits from individual plaintiffs. This sets the stage for further legal battles.

Facebook's parent company, Meta, is set to face legal challenges brought by U.S. states over accusations that its platforms, Facebook and Instagram, contribute to mental health issues among teenagers. This follows a federal judge's decision in California that dismissed Meta's attempts to have the lawsuits thrown out.

Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, based in Oakland, allowed the lawsuits to proceed, although she limited some of the claims, citing a federal law—Section 230—that shields online platforms. Nevertheless, the judge acknowledged the states provided sufficient details regarding allegedly misleading statements by Meta, enabling most of their case to move forward.

This ruling opens the door for states and individual plaintiffs to gather more evidence and possibly take the case to trial. It is not yet a conclusive judgment on the cases' merits. Meta expressed disagreement with the ruling, stating it has developed tools such as 'Teen Accounts' on Instagram to assist parents and teens. Meanwhile, other social media firms involved in similar lawsuits did not comment.

(With inputs from agencies.)