"Lawyers representing plaintiffs in 1,464 lawsuits (as of early 2025) consolidated in the federal social-media child-safety multidistrict litigation filed a whopper of a document in a California court Friday - a 235-page omnibus response [PDF] opposing the defendants' motions for summary judgment. Those suits are part of MDL No. 3047 in the Northern District of California, which includes cases against Meta, Google/YouTube, Snap, and TikTok."
"School districts, parents, and state Attorneys General have been battling the social-media giants, and Friday's omnibus filing is the latest salvo. It argues there's ample internal evidence, much of it buried in sealed exhibits, showing Meta was well aware its apps could fuel mental-health harms in teens. According to the Friday filing, Meta conducted numerous studies into how its platforms affect children, and none of the studies cited in the filing suggests Meta got the results it wanted."
"In 2019, for example, the platform allegedly randomly asked users to stop logging on for a month, "helping us explore the impact that our apps have on polarization, news consumption, well-being, and daily social interactions," according to the study cited in the filing. Unfortunately for Meta, the results were entirely as expected: Staying off social media will make you happier."
Lawyers representing plaintiffs in 1,464 consolidated lawsuits allege Meta concealed internal research revealing harms to children and teens. Plaintiffs include school districts, parents, and state Attorneys General in multidistrict litigation MDL No. 3047, which also involves Google/YouTube, Snap, and TikTok. The complaints cite numerous internal studies and sealed exhibits showing platform links to increased depression, anxiety, loneliness, and social comparison. A 2019 experiment that asked users to abstain found reduced depression and anxiety. Plaintiffs contend Meta hid unfavorable findings, blamed media narratives, and did not take corrective product steps.
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