The decision to allow the lawsuit to go forward paves the way for other lawsuits against tech companies over similar claims.
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court has cleared the way for a lawsuit filed against Instagram over concerns about social media addiction and claims that it negatively affects children’s mental health.
It’s a major blow to Meta, Instagram’s parent company, that could impact other tech companies facing similar allegations.
Vermont’s attorney general filed the lawsuit against the social media giant in 2023, claiming it harms teens’ mental health and worsens the nationwide crisis.
“The lawsuit, which targets Instagram, alleges Meta designed Instagram to cause young people to use the platform compulsively and excessively. Meta did this to maximize the time young users spend on the platform,” the state’s attorney general said in a news release at the time.
The lawsuit further claims the platform was designed this way in order to drive up the company’s advertisement revenue.
“The more time consumers spend on Instagram, the more advertising Meta can display to consumers, and the more data Meta can collect about consumers’ personality and preferences to better target ads at them,” the release continued.
Nearly 40 states joined the federal lawsuit at the time.
Meta disputed the lawsuit and tried to shut it down. In a bid to the nation’s top court, the company argued that a lower court’s approval to allow the lawsuit to go forward was outside its jurisdiction. Despite their efforts, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the social media company’s complaint on Tuesday.
The lawsuit against Meta is part of a wave of complaints against social media and tech companies that cite similar concerns about the addictive nature and impacts on mental health, particularly for children and teens.
Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg has repeatedly denied claims that Instagram targets kids. He testified during a case earlier this year that alleged Meta and YouTube designed addictive features that caused harm to the plaintiff during childhood. The tech companies were found liable.