The Globe and Mail reports in its Tuesday edition that a United States appeals court on Monday permitted thousands of lawsuits against Meta, Google, TikTok, and other social media companies over allegations of creating addictive products for young users. A Reuters dispatch to The Globe reports that the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco dismissed the companies' attempt to overturn a lower court ruling that requires them to address over 3,000 federal lawsuits, saying the appeal was premature. The defendants argued that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 protects them from lawsuits claiming they didn't warn users about the addictive nature of their platforms. Meta argued that Section 230 granted it broad immunity and that it should appeal the lower court's decision immediately. However, the 9th Circuit said Section 230 offers a defence to liability, not immunity, making the appeal premature. The court denied Meta's request to delay a trial starting Wednesday, where 29 state attorneys general allege the company illegally collected children's data, designed addictive platforms and misled consumers about safety. Meta argued the trial should not proceed while an appeal was pending.