2024-11-09 00:25:35 :
Nov 8 (Reuters) – A federal judge said Meta Platforms Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg was not personally liable in 25 lawsuits accusing his company of getting children addicted to social media.
On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland, California, dismissed claims that Zuckerberg directed Meta to conceal serious mental health risks from children using Facebook and Instagram.
The plaintiffs call Meta’s billionaire co-founder the “guiding spirit” behind the alleged concealment, saying he ignored repeated internal warnings about the risks and publicly downplayed them.
But the judge found that Zuckerberg’s wrongdoing lacked specific details and said that “mere control over company activities is not sufficient” to establish liability. Her decision does not affect related claims against Meta itself.
The plaintiff filed claims under the laws of 13 U.S. states: Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia states and Wisconsin.
Previn Warren, a partner at Motley Rice representing the plaintiffs, said Friday that his clients will continue to gather evidence “to uncover the truth about how big tech companies knowingly put profits before the safety of our children.” .
The 25 lawsuits are among hundreds filed by children, their families and school districts seeking damages from Meta, Alphabet’s Google, ByteDance’s TikTok and Snap’s Snapchat.
Dozens of U.S. state attorneys general are filing similar lawsuits against Meta, linking its social media platform to anxiety, depression, insomnia and disruption to education and daily life.
The case is In re Social Media Youth Addiction/Personal Injury Products Liability Litigation, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No. 22-md-03047. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Jan Harvey)
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