Social Media MDL Defendants Say General Negligence Claim Barred by Section 230

SAN FRANCISCO — Defendants in the MDL for social media addiction cases are urging a California federal judge to slash plaintiffs’ general negligence claim (Count 5) in the second amended master complaint, arguing it is barred by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.

In a Feb. 26 brief filed before Judge Yvonne G. Rogers of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, Meta Platforms Inc., ByteDance Inc., Snap Inc. and YouTube LLC argue that the allegedly addictive and harmful features cited by plaintiffs are protected by Section 230.

Defendants argue that Section 230 provides immunity for …