Washington — the supreme court On Tuesday, it rejected an attempt to avoid a lawsuit alleging that Facebook and Instagram harmed young users, a decision that comes as social media companies increasingly face… Legal audit.
Parent company Meta Platforms Inc. has appealed. After the Vermont Supreme Court allowed the attorney general’s lawsuit to proceed in 2023. The company faces similar lawsuits from states across the country, accusing it of intentionally designing addictive features.
Meta argued that it could not be sued in Vermont court because neither the company nor the app’s design had specific ties to the state. Vermont countered that the sites’ large number of teenage users gave its courts jurisdiction.
The Supreme Court refused to hear the appeal in a summary and unjustified order, as is usual. The procedural decision comes after legal losses to Meta and YouTube Social media addiction claims In California and New Mexico.
Vermont’s lawsuit was filed after an investigation by a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general in several states. Newspaper reports based on Meta’s own research also found that the company was aware of the harm Instagram could cause to teens — especially teenage girls — when it comes to mental health and body image issues. One internal study indicated that 13.5% of teenage girls said Instagram makes thoughts of suicide worse, and 17% of teenage girls said it makes eating disorders worse.
Nearly all teens ages 13 to 17 in the U.S. report using a social media platform, with about a third saying they use social media “almost constantly,” according to the Pew Research Center.
Meta, for her part, said she had already provided dozens of tools to support teens and their families, and suggested she was going to work with states on standards for youth use of social media.
Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark praised the decision, saying it confirms “that companies that choose to do business in Vermont, like Meta, can be held accountable when they harm children.”