A US appeals court has ruled that lawsuits accusing Meta Platforms, Google and TikTok, along with other social media companies, of designing addictive platforms can proceed, particularly over claims involving younger users. The suits have been filed by several US school districts, municipalities, states and individuals, who claim the platforms have intentionally hooked younger users, contributing to soaring rates of anxiety, depression and body-image issues. The law generally protects digital companies from liability over content that their users choose to post. The Ninth Circuit disagreed, ruling that the law offers a defence to liability, not blanket immunity from being sued, meaning the appeal remained premature. Meta, which owns Instagram and Facebook, already faces close to $942 million (€816m) in combined penalties in New Mexico.