Social Media Platform Owners Cannot Shake Negligence Claims in Calif. Litigation

LOS ANGELES — The judge overseeing the California social media addiction coordinated cases has ruled that negligence claims filed against Meta Platforms Inc., ByteDance Inc., Snap Inc. and YouTube LLC are not barred by the First Amendment or federal law, even though the platforms are not considered products.

In an Oct. 13 opinion, Judge Carolyn B. Kuhl of the Los Angeles Superior Court found the plaintiffs have adequately alleged the social media companies had a duty not to harm uses of their Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and/or YouTube platforms through their design and/or operation.

Plaintiffs allege defendants’ social media platforms …