Appeals court keeps Meta, Google and TikTok on the hook over young users

The Ninth Circuit said Meta, Google, TikTok, and Snapchat cannot yet appeal a lower-court ruling forcing them to face multidistrict litigation over claims their platforms were designed to hook young users. The panel held the companies moved too early and said Section 230 is a defense to raise at trial, not a jurisdictional shield. Separate jury verdicts in related cases have already produced multimillion-dollar awards against Meta and Google.