Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ: META) plans to challenge recent court decisions that allow several states and hundreds of school districts across the United States to proceed with lawsuits.
These legal actions accuse Meta's social media platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, of contributing to a mental health crisis among young users.
The company filed appeals late Thursday, seeking a review by the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
The appeals follow separate rulings by a federal judge in California last month, which rejected Meta's requests to dismiss the lawsuits, Bloomberg reports.
U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled in favor of 34 state attorneys general who argued that Meta's social media platforms, Facebook and Instagram, have had detrimental effects on youth mental health, leading to claims of negligence and public harm.
However, Judge Rogers largely denied motions to dismiss negligence claims but limited specific allegations, referencing Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.
Alongside Meta, other tech giants such as Snap Inc (NYSE: SNAP) and Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ: GOOGL) (NASDAQ: GOOG) were also named in lawsuits filed by various school districts.
TikTok faces regulatory action from 13 U.S. states and the District of Columbia for allegedly harming the youth.
Meta's legal team is moving forward with the appeal. The company argues that its platforms are not directly responsible for the alleged mental health issues, citing protections under existing internet laws.
Meta, Snap, and TikTok jointly launched Thrive to tackle the spread of harmful content related to self-harm and suicide on their platforms.
The program enables these social media companies to share alerts about graphic content, enhancing efforts to limit its reach.
The Mental Health Coalition collaborates with companies to help address concerns and reduce the stigma around mental health issues online.
Meta reported removing over 12 million posts related to suicide and self-harm on Facebook and Instagram between April and June this year.
Recently, Rogers ruled that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is not personally liable in 25 lawsuits alleging social media addiction among children.
Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers dismissed claims suggesting Zuckerberg ignored internal warnings about mental health risks on Facebook and Instagram.
The plaintiffs argued that Zuckerberg downplayed the dangers, but the judge cited insufficient evidence of his direct involvement.
The ruling only applies to claims against Zuckerberg, while similar legal challenges against Meta remain unaffected.
Price Action: META stock is down 3.73% at $555.66 at the last check on Friday.