California’s judge suggested Big Tech could be sued for harming mental health

In California, a judge warned that Google, Meta, Snap, and TikTok could face lawsuits from users who claimed the businesses’ addictive features affected young people’s mental health. This puts into question the legal safeguards that are routinely provided to these enterprises.

The court is overseeing nearly 200 complaints against these tech behemoths and has repeatedly stated that they may be held liable for the harm these users allege is being done to children through things like addictive content and filters that promote eating disorders.

If these lawsuits move forward, it could be a big problem for the tech industry, which is already dealing with many legal challenges related to mental health concerns. It could also change how the law interprets the usual legal protections granted under Section 230.

Recently, many states filed lawsuits against Meta, claiming the company knew its platform designs were bad for kids. Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, the Californian judge, voiced scepticism over the justifications made to reject all or none of the allegations.

She also questioned the arguments by tech companies that they don’t have a legal duty to make their platforms safe for children. While she criticised the people filing the lawsuits for not being organised, she made it clear that it’s the tech companies’ job to explain why these cases should be thrown out early in the legal process.

Furthermore, the judge hinted that the usual legal protections might not cover all the claims, suggesting that some of them could continue in court. The hearing involved various legal ideas, and it’s possible that some claims might still be dismissed for different reasons.