A judge has ruled that Meta will be sued for allegedly playing a part in a teen mental health crisis

According to a federal judge, Meta must deal with claims alleging that its addictive platforms are causing mental health problems among teenagers.

A federal judge has decided that Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, must deal with claims filed by US states alleging that the firm’s addictive nature contributes to teen mental health issues.

The ruling was made in a case that is still pending and could have a big impact on the internet giant.

Meta’s bid to have the claims in two different lawsuits filed last year dismissed was denied by US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who is headquartered in Oakland, California.

The state of Florida filed one case, while a coalition of over 30 states, including California and New York, filed the other.

Judge Rogers decided that the states had given enough information to proceed with the majority of their case, even if she limited some of the states’ claims by finding that Section 230, a federal law governing online platforms, provides Meta with partial protection.

In this instance, the judge determined that the states had sufficiently accused Meta of making false claims on the possible risks of its platforms, even though Section 230 normally protects internet companies from liability for user-posted content.

The judge denied petitions to dismiss similar personal injury claims filed by individual plaintiffs against Meta and other significant tech companies, such as ByteDance’s TikTok, Google parent Alphabet’s YouTube, and Snap Inc.’s Snapchat, in addition to the state lawsuits.

Even while these businesses are not included as defendants in the state lawsuits, individual users are bringing identical claims against them about the harm that their platforms have caused.

According to reports, the decision is a major step forward, enabling the states and other plaintiffs to collect additional evidence and possibly proceed with a trial. It is not, however, a definitive assessment of the veracity of their assertions.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta responded to the decision by emphasizing how crucial it is to hold Meta responsible.

In a statement, Bonta said, “Meta must be held responsible for the actual harm it has caused to children in California and throughout the nation.”

Attorneys for the plaintiffs in the personal injury case also celebrated the judge’s ruling as a win.

“This is a significant victory for young people nationwide who have been negatively impacted by addictive and harmful social media platforms,” they said in a joint statement.