A federal judge in California has permitted school districts to advance most of their claims against major social media companies, including Meta, YouTube, TikTok, and Snapchat. The decision by U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers largely rejects the companies' motion to dismiss, allowing the litigation to continue.
The lawsuit involves numerous plaintiffs such as personal injury claimants, school districts, local government entities, and state attorneys general. They argue that platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Snapchat are designed to encourage compulsive use among minors, resulting in various harms to children and public health.
Judge Gonzalez Rogers issued a 45-page order affirming the validity of the plaintiffs' claims. She dismissed the defendants' argument that the alleged injuries were too indirect for legal action. This ruling is seen as a significant step towards holding these companies accountable for the negative impacts of their platform designs on young users.
The judge's order also noted that certain claims related to platform features are not protected by Section 230 of the Communications Act or the First Amendment. These include failures to implement age verification processes and effective parental controls.
Beasley Allen is assisting hundreds of school districts in addressing students' social media addictions. Schools have invested significantly in mental health resources and measures to limit social media use during school hours.
Joseph VanZandt and Davis Vaughn from Beasley Allen lead this nationwide case representing parents, children, boards of education, and counties affected by these platforms. Joseph serves as Co-Lead Counsel for related state court consolidated litigation against social media giants in Los Angeles and as State Liaison for a related federal case in Northern California. Davis serves as Co-Chair of the Law & Briefing Committee.
This ruling marks an important step toward addressing social media's impact on young users. The first bellwether trials in this multidistrict litigation are scheduled for October 2025.