A federal judge said Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg is just not personally liable in 25 lawsuits accusing his company of addicting children to social media.
US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland, Calif., rejected accusations on Thursday that Zuckerberg directed Meta’s efforts to hide from children the intense mental health risks of using Facebook and Instagram.
The plaintiffs called Meta’s billionaire co-founder the “guiding spirit” behind alleged concealment efforts, saying he ignored repeated internal warnings concerning the risks and publicly downplayed them.
However the judge found an absence of specifics about what Zuckerberg did incorrect, and said “control of corporate activity alone is insufficient” to ascertain liability. Her decision doesn’t affect related claims against Meta itself.
The plaintiffs brought claims under the laws of 13 states: Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland, Recent York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin.
Previn Warren, a partner at Motley Rice representing the plaintiffs, said on Friday his clients will proceed gathering evidence “to uncover the reality about how Big Tech has knowingly prioritized profits over the security of our youngsters.”
The 25 lawsuits are amongst several hundred by children, their families and faculty districts searching for damages from Meta, Alphabet’s Google, ByteDance’s TikTok and Snap’s Snapchat over social media addiction.
Dozens of state attorneys general are pursuing similar cases against Meta, linking its social media platforms to anxiety, depression, insomnia, and interference with education and each day life.
