A U.S. appeals court rejected a motion by technology companies — including Meta, Alphabet (Google), and TikTok — and allowed thousands of lawsuits to proceed, accusing social media platforms of intentionally making their services addictive for underage users, Reuters reports.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco ruled that the companies failed to successfully challenge a lower court decision requiring them to respond to about 2,400 federal lawsuits.

The lawsuits were filed by states, municipalities, school districts, and private individuals (including parents). They argue that the developers knowingly hooked young people on their services, leading to a surge in depression, anxiety, body image issues, and a broader mental health crisis among American teenagers.

The companies (including Snap Inc., which owns Snapchat) insisted that the protections of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 — which shields platforms from liability for content posted by users — also extend to allegations of negligence regarding safety and the creation of addictive design.

The judges considered the appeal premature, noting that most such complaints are reviewed only after the trial on the merits in the court of first instance has concluded. In addition, during the hearings, the judges expressed doubts that the law shields the companies from claims targeting the platforms’ functionality and design themselves.