Judge Greenlights School Districts’ Claims Against Social Media Giants

A California federal judge has ruled that school districts can move forward with most of their claims against major social media companies like Meta, YouTube, TikTok, and Snapchat. This decision, made by U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, largely denies the motion to dismiss filed by these companies, allowing the litigation to proceed.

 

The Lawsuit

The lawsuit involves hundreds of actions from various plaintiffs, including personal injury claimants, school districts, local government entities, and state attorneys general. They allege that platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Snapchat are designed to encourage compulsive use by minors, leading to various harms to children, local governments, and public health.

 

Judge’s Ruling

Judge Gonzalez Rogers issued a 45-page order on Thursday, affirming the validity of the plaintiffs’ claims. She rejected the defendants’ arguments that the alleged injuries were too remote to seek redress. This ruling is a crucial step in holding these companies accountable for the negative impacts of their platform designs on young users.

The judge’s order also highlighted that certain claims related to platform features are not barred by Section 230 of the Communications Act or the First Amendment. These include failures to implement age verification processes, effective parental controls, and default protective limits on the length and frequency of use.

 

Impact on School Districts

Beasley Allen is helping hundreds of school districts tackle the challenges of students’ social media addictions. These schools have spent a lot on hiring mental health professionals, creating mental health resources, and putting in place measures to limit social media use during school hours.

 

Looking Ahead

Beasley Allen’s Joseph VanZandt and Davis Vaughn continue to lead the charge in this nationwide case, representing a broad coalition of parents, children, boards of education, and counties affected by these platforms.

Joseph serves as Co-Lead Counsel for the related state court consolidated litigation (JCCP) against social media giants Meta, Snap, TikTok, and YouTube in Los Angeles, California. Additionally, he serves as the State Liaison for the related federal case in the Northern District of California. Davis serves as Co-Chair of the Law & Briefing Committee and contributes to the Bellwether, Trial, and Government Entity Expert committees.

This ruling marks a significant step towards addressing the impact of social media on young users and holding companies accountable for their platform designs. The first bellwether trials in the multidistrict litigation (MDL) are set for October 2025.