(Reuters): A federal judge on Tuesday rejected efforts by major social media companies to dismiss nationwide litigation accusing them of targeting their platforms to children, causing them to be addicted and damaging their mental health.

U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland, California ruled against Alphabet, which operates Google and YouTube; Meta Platforms, which operates Facebook; ByteDance, which operates TikTok; and Snap, which operates Snapchat.

The decision covers hundreds of lawsuits filed by individual plaintiffs. More than 140 school districts and more than 30 state attorneys general are also suing.