Defendants in Social Media MDL Seek Dismissal of Master Complaint

OAKLAND, Calif. — Meta Platforms Inc., ByteDance Inc., Snap Inc. and YouTube LLC are urging the California federal judge overseeing the MDL docket for social media addiction and injury cases to dismiss plaintiffs’ master complaint, arguing the services defendants offer are not “tangible products” to which design defect and failure-to-warn claims apply.

In an April 17 motion filed before Judge Yvonne G. Rogers of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, defendants argue their platforms — Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube — only offer users customizable ways to communicate, receive, and interact with content.

“Moreover, Plaintiffs …