Pakistan, Aug. 11 -- A US appeals court has allowed more than 3,000 lawsuits against Meta, Google, TikTok and Snapchat to proceed over claims their platforms encouraged addiction among young users.

The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals rejected an appeal from Meta and TikTok, saying the companies challenged the lower court's decision before the cases reached a final ruling. The companies had argued that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act protected them from lawsuits linked to their platforms' addictive designs and safety warnings.

However, the court ruled that Section 230 offers a defence against liability rather than complete protection from lawsuits. Therefore, the companies can raise their legal arguments during the ongoing ...