Meta, ByteDance, Alphabet, and Snap are accused of deliberately creating addiction in teenagers. A Los Angeles court ruling has allowed the cases to proceed, which could be of historical significance for the industry.
Representatives of Meta, ByteDance, Alphabet, and Snap will face trial on lawsuits accusing them of deliberately designing social networks to addict teenagers. A decision by a Los Angeles Superior Court judge has paved the way for the first hearings in a case that could be historic for the entire industry. This is stated in the Bloomberg material, writes UNN.
Details
Judge Carolyn B. Kuhl ruled that cases against Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, and Snapchat can proceed to a jury trial, rejecting the companies' attempts to avoid litigation. While some negligence claims were dismissed, key allegations remain valid.
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The first three trials are scheduled to begin in January – users will testify for the first time about addiction, depression, anxiety, and other consequences of excessive social media use. If the plaintiffs win, the companies could face billions of dollars in compensation and changes to policies governing children's use of platforms.
The companies deny the accusations.
These lawsuits fundamentally misunderstand how YouTube works, and the accusations are simply not true.
– said Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda.
He added that the platform has built-in safeguards for family control.
Snap's lawyers also emphasized that: "Snapchat was designed differently from traditional social networks; it opens to the camera, allowing Snapchat users to communicate with family and friends in an environment that prioritizes their safety and privacy."
The trial will be the first large-scale test of social networks' legal responsibility for the impact of their algorithms on youth mental health.
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