{"id":4384,"date":"2026-08-14T05:08:56","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T05:08:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hometransferguide.com\/?p=4384"},"modified":"2026-08-14T05:08:56","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T05:08:56","slug":"meta-heads-to-trial-after-court-says-it-cant-hide-behind-section-230","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hometransferguide.com\/?p=4384","title":{"rendered":"Meta Heads To Trial After Court Says It Can\u2019t Hide Behind Section 230"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Jury selection for the first major trial against Meta\u2019s allegedly addictive social media design has begun \u2014 just days after a court cleared the way for similar lawsuits.<\/p>

Read more Elon Musk\u2019s X Is Making A Major Change, Shedding Light On \u2018Shadow Bans\u2019<\/a><\/p>

A jury of eight was sworn in Wednesday in the Oakland federal court trial brought by California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey, KTVU reported. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Monday that the Clinton-era Section 230 does not block lawsuits, allowing a 2023 multi-state suit to move forward, according to the Associated Press.<\/p>

\u201cThe State AGs [attorneys general] may call this a landmark case, but their limited claims are unsubstantiated and their financial demands are vastly disproportionate,\u201d a Meta spokesperson told the Daily Caller News Foundation. <\/p>

\u201cThe AGs offer no proof anyone in their states was misled, claim benign features like having an additional Instagram account somehow harmed their residents, and attempt to penalize Meta for industry-wide challenges like age verification,\u201d the Meta spokesperson added. (RELATED: Zuckerberg Tries To Invoke Everyman Attitude In Pitch To Public On AI)<\/strong><\/p>

Section 230, which former President Bill Clinton signed into law as part of the Communications Decency Act of 1996, asserts that online platforms cannot be held legally liable for content posted on them by third parties. <\/p>

Meta accused the states of disregarding the facts in pursuit of a payout and maintained it has built strong protections for kids using its applications. <\/p>

\u201cFacebook and Instagram \u2018encourage addictive behavior, fail to verify users\u2019 ages, encourage adolescents to bypass parental controls, and inadequately safeguard against harmful content and\/or intentionally amplify harmful and exploitive content,\u2019\u201d the Ninth Circuit in its opinion, describing the states\u2019 claims.<\/p>

Critics counter that social media platforms are engineered to exploit children\u2019s developing brains.<\/p>

Read more Why Did Pollsters Get Michigan And Wisconsin Primaries So Wrong?<\/a><\/p>

\u201cSocial media addiction affects young people because their brains are still developing and don\u2019t fully develop until they are 25 \u2026 So social media is essentially wiring their brains for addiction,\u201d Nicole Runyon, a former child psychotherapist and parent coach, told the DCNF. \u201cThis is causing a gamut of issues for kids, including sleep disturbances, depression, loneliness, anxiety, self-harming behavior, and even suicide.\u201d<\/p>

\n\n
\"Mark<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>

\u201cSection 230 was designed to promote innovation and enable users to share speech without fear of being sued or facing liability\u2014and protect the services that enable and organize the information users share,\u201d said Paul Taske, Director of NetChoice\u2019s Litigation Center, told the DCNF. \u201cThe Ninth Circuit\u2019s ruling represents a significant departure from the law\u2019s text, structure, and purpose\u2014which courts across the country have faithfully applied dating back to the earliest Section 230 cases.\u201d<\/p>

Computer & Communications Industry Association president Matt Schruers told the DCNF that the \u201ccourt\u2019s decision on Section 230 appears out of step with the law\u2019s text and binding precedent.\u201d\u201cInterpreting Section 230 to speak only to liability and not whether suits may be brought would have far-reaching consequences, encouraging baseless litigation and chilling both expression and innovation online,\u201d he added.<\/p>

Google, TikTok, Snapchat, ParentsTogether, Protect Young Eyes, California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Lieff Cabraser law firm each did not immediately respond to the DCNF\u2019s requests for comment.<\/p>

Law professor Eric Goldman and Fairplay did not provide a comment on the record.<\/p>

\u201cI don\u2019t think [the ruling] will inherently curb the issue of harms done to kids as a result of [social media] use on its own,\u201d Runyon told the DCNF. \u201cI advocate for parents to be authoritative and keep social media away from their children until at least 18 \u2026. I don\u2019t think we should be waiting for something tragic to happen and then sue the [social media] company for damages.\u201d<\/p>

The 2023 lawsuit, brought by dozens of states, claims Meta crafted its platforms to addict young users and illegally collect their data, according to the lawsuit. \u201cMeta has harnessed powerful and unprecedented technologies to entice, engage, and ultimately ensnare youth and teens,\u201d the complaint alleged. <\/p>

The Oakland, CA, trial incorporates only four of these states, while eight states filed separate lawsuits, according to the AP.<\/span>The trial is expected to begin Tuesday, Aug. 18, CTV reported.<\/p>

Read more Virginia & Maryland\u2019s School Enrollments Are Down, But Declining Birth Rates Only Tell Part Of The Story<\/a><\/p>

<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jury selection for a major trial against Meta\u2019s allegedly addictive design has begun \u2014 just days after a court cleared the way for similar suits.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4382,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1088,166,338,760,2376,108],"class_list":["post-4384","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting","tag-addiction","tag-california","tag-lawsuits","tag-meta","tag-ninth-circuit-court-of-appeals","tag-social-media"],"yoast_head":"\nMeta Heads To Trial After Court Says It Can\u2019t Hide Behind Section 230 - Home Transfer Guide<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hometransferguide.com\/?p=4384\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Meta Heads To Trial After Court Says It Can\u2019t Hide Behind Section 230 - 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