29 States Win Early Court Battle Accusing Facebook, Instagram of Addicting Children
Meta must continue defending a multistate lawsuit accusing the company of designing Facebook and Instagram to addict children after a federal judge rejected its attempt to dismiss the case • Read More
Meta must continue defending a multistate lawsuit accusing the company of designing Facebook and Instagram to addict children after a federal judge rejected its attempt to dismiss the case.
In a significant setback for the tech giant, A U.S. District Judge ruled that key claims brought by 29 state attorneys general can move forward, including allegations that Meta deceived the public about the addictive nature of its platforms, engaged in unfair business practices, and violated the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) by failing to provide proper notice and obtain parental consent for children under 13.
The lawsuit alleges that Meta deliberately engineered features such as endless scrolling, algorithm-driven content recommendations, and engagement notifications to keep children and teenagers using Facebook and Instagram for longer periods, despite knowing the platforms could contribute to anxiety, depression, sleep disruption, and other mental health harms.
Prosecutors further allege the company concealed internal research about those risks while publicly downplaying the dangers.
Meta argued that “social media addiction” is not a recognized psychiatric diagnosis and maintained that its platforms are intended for a general audience rather than specifically targeting children. The company also denied violating federal privacy laws.
Judge Gonzalez Rogers found that factual disputes – including whether Meta intentionally designed its products to encourage compulsive use and whether its public statements were misleading—must be decided at trial rather than dismissed before the case is heard. The court also ruled that the states had established sufficient grounds to pursue claims under COPPA.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta called the ruling a “critical win” for efforts to hold Meta accountable for its alleged role in the youth mental health crisis. A trial involving claims brought by California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey is scheduled to begin on August 18, as part of broader litigation involving thousands of lawsuits against major social media companies over alleged harms to children.
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