A US federal judge has ruled that Meta platform CEO Mark Zuckerberg cannot be held personally liable in 25 lawsuits. The lawsuits allege that his company's social media services created addiction among children. This information is known in the report of the news agency Reuters.
Last Thursday, Mark Zuckerberg was dismissed by US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland, California.
The lawsuits claimed that Mark Zuckerberg directly oversaw efforts on behalf of Meta to hide mental health risks for young people through the use of Facebook and Instagram. The plaintiffs described Zuckerberg as the 'leader' of the effort. The lawsuit also claims he repeatedly ignored internal warnings and downplayed these risks publicly.
But the judge said Zuckerberg had not presented sufficient evidence of any specific wrongdoing. Merely controlling the activities of the company does not make it personally liable. However, his decision will not affect other allegations made against the Meta company.
The plaintiffs filed suit under the laws of 13 US states, including Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin.
Pravin Warren, a partner at the law firm of Motley Rice, is prosecuting the plaintiffs. He said in a statement last Friday that his clients will continue to gather more evidence “to reveal how big tech companies have consciously put profits over the safety of children.”
These 25 cases are among hundreds of cases. Various US families and school districts have filed against Meta, Alphabet's Google, ByteDance's TikTok, and Snap's Snapchat. These lawsuits seek compensation from companies for children's social media addiction. In addition, the Attorney Generals of various states of the United States are conducting similar cases against Meta. In these cases, the company's platforms have been linked to anxiety, depression, insomnia, and disruptions in education and daily life.
