Two jury losses are testing whether Section 230 protects the design choices behind social media feeds, giving plaintiffs a possible route around the industry’s strongest legal defense without rewriting the law yet.

Meta avoided a closely watched social media addiction trial after the plaintiff dropped the remaining claim, leaving broader questions over platform design unresolved.

The post Why Meta Escaped a Landmark Social Media Lawsuit appeared first on TechRepublic.

Meta avoided a closely watched social media addiction trial after the plaintiff dropped the remaining claim, leaving broader questions over platform design unresolved.

The post Why Meta Escaped a Landmark Social Media Lawsuit appeared first on TechRepublic.

TikTok recently settled its portion of the case with the plaintiff ahead of a jury trial that starts next week in Los Angeles. YouTube has also reached a deal, leaving Meta as the only remaining defendant.

The European Union is ramping up pressure on Meta to make big changes to Facebook and Instagram after the European Commission preliminarily found that features like autoplay, infinite scroll, and highly personalized content recommendations were addictive.

On Thursday, the EC said its investigation indicated that “Meta did not adequately assess the risks of its addictive design on the physical and mental wellbeing of users, including minors and vulnerable adults.”

“These features fuel the user's urge to keep scrolling and shift the brain into ‘autopilot mode,' contributing to unhealthy habits and compulsive use,” the commission said.

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