Meta, TikTok Likely to Face Summer Trial in Schools' Suits (1)

"Meta Platforms Inc., TikTok Inc., Snap Inc., and YouTube LLC appear unlikely to completely knock out a group of federal cases set for trial this summer that allege the platforms harmed the mental health of students and strained school resources. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers at a marathon hearing Monday in Oakland, Calif., federal court said the public school districts have provided a "reasonable articulation" of how social media features like SnapChat's "streaks" or Instagram's beautification image filter cause specific harm to students and schools."

"The question of causality is "the classic dispute of material fact" that a jury must sort out, Rogers said. "Why would we not let the jury decide those things?" She didn't issue a ruling at the hearing, which lasted almost seven hours, but she set a June 15 trial date that would come into play if she denies the social media firms' motion for summary judgment."

"Rogers, who sits on the US District Court for the Northern District of California, is overseeing a sweeping multidistrict litigation case composed of thousands of social media addiction lawsuits filed across the country and consolidated under one docket. The lawsuits have been filed by both school districts as well as parents and children who claim mental health harms from social media. Rogers is also overseeing a case against Meta brought by over a dozen state attorneys general over harm to children. The Monday hearing comes the day before a state court in Los Angeles is set to begin its first bellwether trial against the same social media companies over claims that their platforms have a teenage girl's depression, anxiety, and other mental health problems."

Federal lawsuits claim Meta, TikTok, Snap and YouTube harmed student mental health and strained school resources through features such as SnapChat streaks and Instagram beautification filters. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers found school districts provided a reasonable articulation linking specific social media features to harms experienced by students and schools. The question of causality remains a factual dispute that a jury must resolve. A June 15 bellwether trial in Breathitt County, Kentucky was set if summary judgment is denied. Thousands of consolidated social media addiction lawsuits form a multidistrict litigation, alongside related state and parental suits.

Read at Bloomberglaw