"Over the next year, top social media executives are expected to take the witness stand to defend their companies from an avalanche of claims about their failure to protect kids. The first of many trials is set to begin this month in California, when Meta, TikTok, and YouTube face claims that tech addiction harmed a teenager's mental health. This case is just the tip of the legal iceberg."
"It kicks off one of two sets of so-called bellwether trials, where judges will hear a selection of cases that represent similar claims, whose outcomes will likely inform settlement amounts for the remaining cases. There are still thousands more cases behind them. They're significant both because they've managed a rare feat of overcoming Section 230 objections - which protect online platforms from being held liable for their users' speech - to reach a full trial phase."
Multiple lawsuits accuse social media platforms of failing to protect children and allege platform design and algorithms contributed to addiction and mental-health harm. Meta, TikTok, and YouTube face the first bellwether trial in California alleging tech addiction injured a teenager's mental health. Two sets of bellwether trials will present representative cases to guide settlement valuations for thousands of similar claims. Courts allowed these claims to proceed beyond Section 230 defenses, creating a rare full-trial posture. Executives are expected to testify and internal evidence may reveal what platforms knew and whether they took effective steps to mitigate risks to minors.
Read at The Verge
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