Supreme Court allows Vermont lawsuit over Instagram addiction to proceed
The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Meta's bid to dismiss a Vermont lawsuit alleging Instagram was designed to addict teenagers, allowing the case to proceed. Vermont's attorney general accuses Meta of exploiting adolescent brain development and deceiving consumers about the product's safety, citing the company's own research showing harms to teen mental health.
What happened
On May 26, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Meta Platforms Inc.'s appeal against a lawsuit filed by Vermont's attorney general in 2023, allowing the case to proceed. Meta had argued it could not be sued in Vermont court because neither the company nor the app design had specific ties to the state, but Vermont countered that the sites' large number of teen users gave its courts jurisdiction. The Supreme Court declined to hear the appeal in a brief, unexplained order.
Vermont's lawsuit alleges that Meta designed Instagram to exploit the developing brains of adolescents to foster addiction and increase advertising sales. The state also accuses Meta of deliberately deceiving consumers about the safety of the product. According to internal research cited in newspaper reports, Meta's own studies found that 13.5% of teen girls said Instagram makes thoughts of suicide worse and 17% said it makes eating disorders worse.
Reported impact
Vermont's Attorney General Charity Clark stated the decision affirms that companies doing business in Vermont can be held accountable when they harm children. The case is part of a broader wave of lawsuits from states, municipalities, and school districts across the country challenging social media platforms' design and management practices affecting minors.
Index analysis
The Supreme Court's decision to reject Meta's jurisdictional challenge follows court losses for Meta and YouTube in social media addiction lawsuits in California and New Mexico. Vermont's lawsuit was filed after an investigation by a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general in multiple states.
Governance controls
Meta stated it has introduced dozens of tools to support teens and their families and suggested it would have worked with states on standards for youth social media use.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.