In a significant development, the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has allowed thousands of lawsuits against tech giants like Meta, Google, TikTok, Snapchat, and others to move forward. These companies are being accused of designing addictive social media platforms that reportedly harm children. The court dismissed the tech firms' initial bids to halt litigation, citing their argument about Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act as premature. The panel also denied Meta's request for a delay in a trial set to begin on Wednesday, initiated by 29 state attorneys general who allege illegal data collection and manipulative practices by Meta. This ruling comes at a time when several countries are imposing penalties on social media platforms due to their allegedly harmful designs affecting minors' health. For instance, France plans to ban under-15s from social media sites and prohibit mobile phones in high schools, while Australia has already imposed a ban, and Britain is planning one next year. The lawsuits filed by states, municipalities, school districts, and individual families claim that these companies knowingly created addictive products fueling mental health crises among young users. These cases are centralized before US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland, California, with plaintiffs seeking 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 $6m to a 20-year-old woman who claimed she became addicted to Instagram and YouTube as a child. Meta and Google have denied wrongdoing and plan to appeal.