Social Media MDL Judge Addresses Negligence, Child Sex Abuse Materials Claims

SAN FRANCISCO — The judge overseeing the MDL docket for social media adolescent addiction/injury cases has refused to dismiss the general negligence claim to the extent it targets particular features of defendants’ platforms, ruling it is barred by neither Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, nor the First Amendment.

In a Feb. 28 order, Judge Yvonne Rogers of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California relied on her previous orders on defendants’ motions to dismiss in which she ruled that claims relating to features such as appearance-altering filters, platform time restrictions, and “multiple accounts” functions are …