A federal appeals court removed a procedural obstacle facing more than 3,000 lawsuits accusing Meta Platforms, Snap, Alphabet, and TikTok of harming young users through allegedly addictive product features. The Ninth Circuit ruled that Section 230 provides a defense against liability, not immunity from being sued, making Meta and TikTok's appeal premature. The ruling does not decide liability but allows the cases to proceed, with a trial involving 29 state attorneys general scheduled to begin on August 12. Meta faces a combined $942 million in ordered penalties and abatement funding from New Mexico, which it plans to appeal, making the final amount and timing uncertain. The litigation includes approximately 3,300 additional California state cases, and the first bellwether verdict awarded $6 million against Meta and Google.