Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta Inc, has successfully avoided personal liability in 25 lawsuits that accused Meta Platforms Inc and other social media companies of addicting children to their platforms.
In a recent ruling, U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers dismissed Zuckerberg as an individual defendant, ruling in favor of Meta’s CEO. However, the lawsuits against Meta as a corporation are still ongoing.
The lawsuits claimed that Zuckerberg was aware of the risks posed by Instagram and Facebook to children but chose not to disclose this information publicly, despite receiving multiple warnings.
The plaintiffs argued that Zuckerberg, as the face of Meta, had a legal obligation to provide truthful information about the risks of the company’s products to children. However, Judge Rogers found that Zuckerberg was not required to disclose this information unless there was a “special relationship” between him and the users.
Judge Rogers also stated that holding Zuckerberg personally liable based on his public image would set a problematic precedent, requiring disclosure from any public figure. She described this as a “novel approach” that the court could not support.
The plaintiffs have the opportunity to amend and refile their complaints against Meta and Zuckerberg.
Representatives from Meta and the plaintiffs’ attorney did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
This ruling comes after a hearing where the judge expressed sympathy towards the complaints, suggesting that Zuckerberg could be held accountable for concealing information as a corporate officer at Meta.
These lawsuits are part of over 1,000 legal actions against Meta, Google, TikTok, and Snap Inc, brought by families and school districts alleging harm to children due to social media use.
The complaints seek damages and changes to harmful practices on these platforms.
Rogers dismissed some claims but allowed others to proceed against the companies.
The tech giants deny any wrongdoing and claim to have implemented safety measures for young users on their platforms.
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2024-04-20 05:51:02
Original from www.ibtimes.com