Attorney General Bob Ferguson's lawsuit against Meta, accusing the company of harming youth mental health, has moved forward following a federal court's decision to reject Meta’s attempt to dismiss the case. Ferguson expressed determination in his statement: “Meta can’t get off the hook that easily. This ruling brings us one step closer to accountability. Meta and its top executives disregarded their own research and publicly downplayed the risks Facebook and Instagram posed to its most vulnerable users. I am committed to protecting the mental health of Washington youth.”
The legal action is part of a bipartisan effort involving 42 state attorneys general, with 33 states filing the federal lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The lawsuit claims that Meta prioritized profits over the well-being of children and teenagers by targeting them with addictive features on their platforms.
U.S. District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled that Ferguson’s allegations concerning violations of both the Washington state Consumer Protection Act and federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act could proceed. In her order, she stated: “Meta’s alleged yearslong public campaign of deception as to the risks of addiction and mental harms to minors from platform use fits readily within these states’ deceptive acts and practices framework.”
Judge Gonzalez Rogers also allowed claims regarding Meta's failure to warn users about known addiction risks to continue, particularly focusing on how Meta used its programming to target younger users.
Ferguson's lawsuit further accuses Meta's leaders of targeting youth as an untapped market, despite being aware of potential harms from their features, which were designed to maximize engagement through prolonged dopamine responses.
The coalition aims to prevent Meta from continuing these practices, seeking significant changes in how adolescent users experience their platforms.