By Jonathan Stempel
(Reuters) – A federal judge said Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:) CEO Mark Zuckerberg is not personally liable in 25 lawsuits accusing his company of addicting children to social media. U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers (NYSE:) in Oakland, California on Thursday dismissed allegations that Zuckerberg directed Meta’s efforts to hide the serious mental health risks of using Facebook and Instagram from children. Prosecutors called Meta’s billionaire co-founder the “guiding mind” behind alleged attempts at secrecy, saying he ignored repeated internal warnings about the risks and publicly downplayed them.
But the judge found there were too few details about what Zuckerberg had done wrong, saying that “control over business operations alone is insufficient” to establish liability. Her decision does not affect related claims against Meta herself.
The plaintiffs have brought claims under the laws of 13 US states: Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin.
Previn Warren, a partner at Motley Rice who is representing the plaintiffs, said Friday that his clients will continue to gather evidence “to expose the truth about how Big Tech knowingly prioritized profit over the safety of our children.”
The 25 lawsuits are among hundreds of lawsuits filed by children, their families and school districts seeking damages from Meta, Alphabet (NASDAQ:)’s Google, ByteDance’s TikTok and Snap’s Snapchat over social media addiction.
Dozens of U.S. attorneys general are pursuing similar cases against Meta, linking the social media platforms to anxiety, depression, insomnia and interference with education and daily life.
The case concerns Social Media Adolescent Addiction/Personal Injury Products Liability Litigation, US District Court, Northern District of California, No. 22-md-03047.
