Federal Judge rejects Meta’s bid to dismiss States’ Lawsuit over child addiction to Facebook and Instagram

A federal judge has rejected Meta Platforms' motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by 29 US state attorneys general accusing the company of designing Facebook and Instagram to addict children and knowingly concealing the harm from the public .

A federal judge has rejected Meta Platforms’ motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by 29 US state attorneys general accusing the company of designing Facebook and Instagram to addict children and knowingly concealing the harm from the public . In a decision late Monday, US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland, California, denied Meta’s bid to dismiss claims based on deception, unfair practices, and violations of the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) . The judge also found that Meta did not comply with COPPA’s notice and parental consent requirements, granting summary judgment to the states on that issue .

In a 38-page decision, Gonzalez Rogers found “material factual disputes” over whether Meta’s social media platforms are addictive, whether the company falsely denied it designed them that way, and whether it “partially” directed the platforms at children . “The AGs present a reasonable interpretation of statements that Facebook and Instagram are not designed in ways that cause teens to compulsively use the platforms to their detriment,” she wrote, adding that if evidence shows the platforms are “in fact designed to do just that, a jury could reasonably find the statements were untrue to a reasonable person” .

The states’ lawsuit, filed in 2023, argues that Meta has contributed to a youth mental health crisis by designing “psychologically manipulative” features that keep children “hooked” on their platforms . It also alleges that Meta failed to disclose the risks of its platforms to the public and misled the public about the harms . The states are seeking civil penalties and an end to Meta’s alleged deceptive practices .

Meta countered that the attorneys general had no evidence that it misled consumers about its platforms’ alleged addictiveness, including in congressional testimony by Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg . In a statement, Meta said: “We strongly disagree with these allegations and are confident the evidence will show our longstanding commitment to supporting young people” . Gonzalez Rogers also oversees related multidistrict litigation by more than 2,600 individuals, school districts, and local governments over whether social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Google, YouTube, Snapchat, and TikTok addict children . A trial over claims by California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey is scheduled for August 18 .