Social media companies are facing thousands of lawsuits in the US over claims that they have harmed users, particularly children – and the outcomes could change the way platforms operate forever.
Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram, Google, which owns YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok, Discord and social gaming platform Roblox are all being targeted. Taken together, whether the cases settle or end with jury verdicts against the firms, the consequences are being watched closely around the world.
“Meta, YouTube and other platforms face thousands of US lawsuits over child safety, with key cases this year.”
“It’s created a stage that not only legal observers are watching, but regulators and lawmakers are watching closely as well,” said Eric Talley, a lawyer and professor at Columbia Law School. Talley noted that the wave of litigation is feeding into broader public perception, which is likely to influence political elections for the next several years, impacting new and revised laws and regulations.
Many of the cases are going through courts in California, where all the major platforms are headquartered. Known as the “California effect”, legal and policy changes enacted in the state tend to lead to nationwide changes.
“There’s no denying anymore that there is an issue with child safety on the platforms,” said Alexis Shore Ingber, a communications law expert and professor at Syracuse University. “We are seeing an inflection point. These cases are significant.”
This year alone has seen notable legal defeats. Meta and YouTube notched an unprecedented loss in a case brought by a young woman who claimed she was addicted as a child to social media, contributing to her mental and emotional health struggles. A jury ordered the companies to pay her a combined $6m (£4.5m) in damages. Both firms said they disagreed with the verdict and intended to appeal.
Meta also lost a bigger case in New Mexico, brought by that state’s attorney general accusing the company of misleading the public that its platforms were safe for children despite known issues with young people being sexually exploited on them. Meta said it also plans to appeal against that verdict.
During the years these cases were brought and resolved, Meta has introduced changes to its platforms aimed at making them safer for young users. But broader change to how platforms are designed and function is likely to take years more, and more court rulings against them.
Between this year and next, Meta and the other major social platforms are poised to fight their way through more trials where juries could consider a host of claims by young users, their parents, and school districts.