Meta faces lawsuits over Instagram's allegedly addictive features and teen mental health harm
Massachusetts filed a lawsuit alleging Meta deliberately designed Instagram with addictive features to exploit adolescents' psychological vulnerabilities and misled the public about mental health risks. A judge rejected Meta's motion to dismiss the case in October 2024, ruling that Section 230 protections do not apply to Meta's own allegedly deceptive conduct.
What happened
A lawsuit filed by Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell accuses Meta of deliberately incorporating addictive features into Instagram, including automatic notifications, likes, and infinite scroll, designed to exploit adolescents' psychological vulnerabilities and fear of missing out (FOMO).
The lawsuit also alleges Meta deceived the public about the dangers Instagram poses to adolescents' mental health and misrepresented its age-verification system to prevent users under 13 from accessing the platform.
In October 2024, Boston Judge Peter Krupp rejected Meta's motion to dismiss the lawsuit, finding that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act does not apply because the claims target Meta's own conduct, not user-generated content.
Reported impact
The lawsuit alleges Instagram's design features cause addiction and mental health harm in adolescents.
Index analysis
Judge Krupp ruled that Meta's false statements about Instagram's safety, its efforts for youth welfare, and its age-verification system are not protected under Section 230.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.