Meta seeks to consolidate social media harm, exploitation suits due to commonality

Top Class Actions’s website and social media posts use affiliate links. If you make a purchase using such links, we may receive a commission, but it will not result in any additional charges to you. Please review our Affiliate Link Disclosure for more information.

Meta social media harm overview: 

• Who: Meta has asked a judicial panel to consolidate nearly 50 lawsuits filed against it across the country since January.
• Why: Meta argues that the cases are similar enough to be decided together, and it raises arguments that could see multiple lawsuits dismissed at once.
• Where: The filings were lodged with the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation.

Meta has asked a judicial panel to consolidate nearly 50 lawsuits filed against it across the country since January alleging that Facebook and other social media companies exploit young users and harm their mental health. 

In court filings lodged with the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation Aug. 30, Meta said there were enough common issues in the lawsuits to make them eligible to be consolidated, including allegations that apps like Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok are addictive and harmful to teen users.

The filings come one month after young plaintiffs from across the country who filed lawsuits alleging Facebook and Instagram exploited adolescents during their formative years also asked the panel to consolidate their cases, pending in 17 federal districts. 

The lawsuits allege that the social media providers failed to warn young users and their parents about the risks of social media addiction. They say they were harmed in multiple ways, including development of suicidal ideation, self-harm, eating disorders, anxiety and depression.

In one of the lawsuits, plaintiff Brianna Murden alleges that Meta intentionally designed its platforms and user experiences so that users would maximize their time spent on its apps and become addicted. 

She said this was done by manipulating and exploiting vulnerabilities in human psychology.

“Plaintiffs seek to hold Defendants’ accountable for the devastating fallout from exploiting adolescent users during their formative years while in a state of increased fragility,” Murden says.

Meta argues certain issues could be resolved in one decision

Consolidating the suits would allow certain issues to be resolved early and in one decision, Meta said in its filing.

One issue it raised was whether the claims are barred by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which shields websites from being sued over content posted by their users or third parties.

Meta would also like a court to look at its argument on whether the First Amendment might block plaintiffs’ claims because they challenge Meta’s editorial control and judgment.

It also argues that claims that social media apps are defective products should be thrown out, as it states that product liability laws should only apply to tangible goods, not services like the apps.

Despite Meta’s move to have the cases consolidated, other social media companies named in the lawsuits said in court filings that they opposed consolidation of the lawsuits. 

Tik Tok Inc. argued that an industrywide Multidistrict Litigation would be too broad and unwieldy for a federal judiciary to handle.

If you are under the age of 21 or the parent of a teenager who uses social media and suffers from mental health conditions, you may qualify to join a class action lawsuit investigation.

Murden is represented by Joseph VanZandt, Andy Birchfield, Jennifer Emmel, Clinton Richardson, Suzanne Clark, Davis Vaughn, Sydney Everett and Seth Harding of Beasley Allen Crow Methvin Portis & Miles LLC.

The Meta social media mental health case is In re Social Media Adolescent Addiction/Personal Injury Prods. Liab. Litig., Case No. 3047 before the JPML. 

Read About More Class Action Lawsuits & Class Action Settlements:

• YouTube class action alleges company stores facial data of those in videos
• Lincoln Insurance employee finger scan $101K class action settlement
• Jame Roll Form Products biometric privacy $538K class action settlement
• CSL Plasma biometric data $9.9M class action lawsuit settlement