In a significant development, the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has given the green light for over 3,000 lawsuits against tech giants like Meta, Google, TikTok, Snapchat, and others to move forward. The companies are accused of designing addictive products that harm children. Despite the tech companies' initial attempts to halt litigation before trial, the court dismissed their appeals, citing premature filings. The companies had argued that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act shielded them from claims related to the addictive design of their platforms. However, the court deemed this section to offer defense against liability rather than absolute immunity from lawsuits. Furthermore, the court declined Meta's request for a trial delay, scheduled for Wednesday, which involves 29 state attorneys general accusing the company of illegally collecting and using children's data, and of engineering its platforms to keep young users engaged, misleading the public about their safety. This decision comes amidst growing international concern over social media's harmful impact on minors' health, with countries like France planning to ban under-15s from social media sites and prohibit mobile phones in high schools, Australia imposing a ban, and Britain planning one next year. The legal actions reflect heightened public concern over online harms to minors, with President Emmanuel Macron pointing to social media as a factor in youth violence. The US lawsuits, filed by states, municipalities, school districts, and individual families, allege that the companies knowingly built addictive products that have contributed to surging depression, anxiety, and broader mental health crises among youth. These cases are consolidated before U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland, California, where plaintiffs seek damages, penalties, and restitution. A jury in Los Angeles has already found Meta and Google negligent in the first such case to reach trial, awarding $6 million to a 20-year-old woman who claimed she became addicted to Instagram and YouTube as a child. Both Meta and Google have denied wrongdoing and plan to appeal.