A federal judge has denied Meta's motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Attorney General Josh Stein and other attorneys general in 2023. The suit alleges that Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, designed its platforms to be addictive for children and teenagers and misled users about the potential harms.
Attorney General Josh Stein expressed satisfaction with the court's decision, stating, "I’m pleased that the court saw through Meta’s attempts to avoid being held responsible for the damage it has done to young people’s health and wellbeing. I’m going to keep fighting to protect our kids and make sure that Meta does better by them."
Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers of the United States District Court ruled that the state attorneys general could continue with several consumer protection claims. These include accusations that Meta conducted a "yearslong public campaign of deception as to the risks of addiction and mental harms to minors from platform use."
The order detailing this decision is available for public review.