Meta Platforms must face a lawsuit by the Massachusetts attorney general alleging that it deliberately designed social media features to addict young users, the state’s top court ruled on Friday. The ruling by the Massachusetts supreme judicial court marked the first time a state high court has considered whether a federal law shielding internet companies from lawsuits over user content would also bar claims that Meta knowingly addicted young users.
Justice Dalila Argaez Wendlandt wrote for the unanimous court that the lawsuit does not seek to hold Meta liable for content created by its users, which Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act generally shields, but targets the company’s own conduct. “Instead, the claims allege harm stemming from Meta’s own conduct either by designing a social media platform that capitalizes on the developmental vulnerabilities of children or by affirmatively misleading consumers about the safety of the Instagram platform,” Wendlandt wrote.
Meta has denied the allegations and said it takes extensive steps to keep teens and young users safe. The lawsuit, filed by Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell, alleges that features such as push notifications, “likes” and a never-ending scroll were designed to profit from teens’ psychological vulnerabilities. Campbell hailed the ruling as a “major step in holding these companies accountable for practices that have fueled the youth mental health crisis and put profits over kids”.
The decision follows a landmark trial in Los Angeles on 25 March, where a jury found Meta and Alphabet’s Google negligent for designing harmful social media platforms, awarding $6m to a woman who became addicted as a child. Another jury earlier found Meta owed $375m in civil penalties in a lawsuit by New Mexico’s attorney general over misleading users and enabling child sexual exploitation.
Thirty-four other states are pursuing similar cases against Meta in federal court. The Massachusetts case is one of at least nine state-level lawsuits since 2023. Meanwhile, Meta said on Thursday it is pulling ads from Facebook and Instagram that recruit plaintiffs for litigation accusing it of designing addictive platforms. Meta spokesperson Andy Stone stated: “We will not allow trial lawyers to profit from our platforms while simultaneously claiming they are harmful.”
