A federal judge has rejected Meta Platforms' attempt to dismiss a lawsuit that accuses the company of designing Facebook and Instagram to addict children and knowingly concealing the associated harms. The lawsuit, brought by 29 state attorneys general, will now proceed after U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers denied Meta's motion to dismiss claims of deception, unfair practices, and violations of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act.
In her ruling late Monday, Gonzalez Rogers also found that Meta did not comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act's requirements for notice and parental consent, granting summary judgment to the states on that specific issue. Meta did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The lawsuit is part of multidistrict litigation overseen by Gonzalez Rogers, which includes claims from over 2,600 individuals, school districts, and local governments concerning the addictive nature of social media platforms. The states argue that research indicates children's use of Facebook and Instagram can lead to depression, anxiety, insomnia, academic interference, and self-harm, including suicide.
Meta has contended that the attorneys general lack evidence of misleading consumers about the platforms' alleged addictiveness. The company argued, in part, that "social media addiction" is not a recognized psychiatric condition, thus its statements that its platforms are not addictive cannot be false. Meta also asserted that it did not violate children's online privacy laws because Facebook and Instagram are directed at a general audience, not exclusively children under 13.
However, the judge found that material factual disputes exist regarding whether Meta's platforms are addictive, whether the company falsely denied designing them to be so, and whether the platforms are "partially" directed at children. Gonzalez Rogers noted that the states' evidence presents a reasonable interpretation that the platforms are designed to encourage compulsive use to a user's detriment. If a jury finds this evidence credible, it could determine Meta's statements were untrue.
A trial in the case is scheduled to begin on August 18.