Meta rivals want no part of defending its many addiction suits

The suits against Meta stand out because they cite a whistle-blower’s complaint that Instagram knew from internal studies that many adolescent girls using the photo-sharing app were suffering from depression and anxiety around body-image issues. — AFP

Meta Platforms Inc says social media companies should stick together in a fight against dozens of lawsuits alleging they harm young people. Snap Inc, TikTok Inc, and Google say they’d rather go it alone.

A panel in St. Louis convenes Thursday to consider whether a single judge should be assigned to oversee suits across the US claiming the companies are causing teenagers to suffer from sleep deprivation, depression and anxiety - and even to take their own lives.