- A federal decide mentioned Mark Zuckerberg just isn’t personally liable in over two dozen lawsuits.
- The lawsuits say Zuckerberg’s platforms are addictive to youngsters.
A federal decide mentioned Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg just isn’t personally liable in over two dozen lawsuits accusing his firm of inflicting social media dependancy in youngsters.
US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers of California shared the choice in a 10-page court docket submitting on Thursday. Plaintiffs mentioned that Meta knew Instagram and Facebook posed well being dangers to its customers, particularly youngsters.
The plaintiffs — which embody mother and father and faculty districts — say Meta didn’t disclose the dangers related to the social media platforms, hid them via “deceptive speaking factors,” and prevented customers from studying about them.
The plaintiffs additionally say Zuckerberg “directed, participated in, knew of, and in reality, served because the guiding spirit behind Meta’s tortious concealment and omissions,” in line with the court docket submitting.
However, the decide mentioned in Thursday’s court docket submitting that the plaintiffs had inadequate proof that Zuckerberg personally directed the suppression of details about the risks of social media.
“While attainable that discovery might reveal a extra energetic participation and course by Zuckerberg in Meta’s alleged fraudulent concealment, the allegations earlier than the Court are inadequate to fulfill the usual for corporate-officer legal responsibility within the 13 at-issue jurisdictions,” the submitting mentioned.
The court docket’s ruling comes as world leaders crack down on some social media corporations over claims that they’re addictive to youngsters and youths. In October, attorneys basic from 14 completely different states filed lawsuits towards TikTok, saying that the app is addictive and income from damaging the psychological well being of youngsters.
Legal consultants beforehand instructed Business Insider that the sweeping lawsuits towards TikTok mirror authorized methods utilized by the US authorities to crack down on the opioid and tobacco industries.
In Australia, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese this week introduced plans to introduce a legislation banning youngsters beneath 16 from having social media accounts. Meta’s head of security, Antigone Davis, instructed the Associated Press that the corporate would respect any age limitations the Australian authorities needs to introduce.
Representatives for Meta declined to touch upon the California decide’s ruling, and authorized representatives for Zuckerberg didn’t reply to a request for remark from Business Insider.
Previn Warren, a consultant for the plaintiffs at Motley Rice LLC, instructed Business Insider that its lawsuit towards Meta continues to be ongoing.
“Whether Mark Zuckerberg is held accountable in his private capability or not, our lawsuit towards Meta, the corporate he has led for 20 years, is transferring ahead,” the assertion mentioned. “We won’t cease till the a whole lot of households and faculty districts we characterize have their day in court docket. We are transferring ahead with discovery to uncover the reality about how Big Tech has knowingly prioritized income over the security of our youngsters.”
There are dozens of plaintiffs concerned within the ongoing authorized procedures. Other defendants listed within the lawsuits included Snap, ByteDance, and Google.
In an amended grievance filed in December 2023, the plaintiffs mentioned they’ve “suffered numerous private accidents due to their use of Defendants’ merchandise.”
“These harms embody ache, struggling, incapacity, impairment, disfigurement, demise, an elevated threat of damage and different critical diseases, lack of enjoyment of life, lack of society, aggravation or activation of preexisting situations, scarring, inconvenience, incurred prices for medical care and remedy, lack of wages and wage-earning capability, and different financial and non-economic damages,” the grievance learn.
“These losses are sometimes everlasting and persevering with in nature,” the grievance reads.
