Judge dismisses several claims against Zuckerberg Meta about the dangers of social media

Judge dismisses several claims against Zuckerberg Meta about the dangers of social media

Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Monday won a dismissal of several claims in a dozen lawsuits accusing him of hiding from the public that Facebook and Instagram were dangerous to children.

The ruling, by US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland, California, comes amid widespread litigation by children who have filed hundreds of lawsuits accusing Meta and other social media companies of charging them for their platforms.

Twenty-five of those cases sought to hold Zuckerberg personally liable, saying the billionaire founder of Meta created a false impression of the platform’s safety despite repeated warnings that they were not suitable for children.

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The plaintiffs argued that his public position and unusual role as “the trusted voice on all things Meta” created a duty under several state laws for Zuckerberg to speak fully and honestly about the risks his products pose to children.

But Rogers said plaintiffs can’t rely on Zuckerberg’s comparative knowledge of Meta’s products to prove he personally owes each plaintiff such a duty. Such a decision, he said, would create “a duty to disclose any identifiable individual to the public.”

“The court will not accept a new approach here,” he said.

Meta, which remains a defendant, declined to comment. The company denies wrongdoing.

Hundreds of lawsuits are pending before Rogers filed on behalf of individual children against Meta and other social media companies, including Alphabet, which operates Google and YouTube; ByteDance, which operates TikTok; and Snap, which operates Snapchat.

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The lawsuit says the child suffered physical, mental and emotional harm from social media use, including anxiety, depression, and even suicide.

The litigation seeks damages and a halt to practices that the defendants say are harmful. Several states and school districts have also filed lawsuits against Meta, which are still pending.