Meta / Facebook Must Face Charges for Intentionally Designing Instagram to Addict Your Users

Publish Date : 10/21/2024

A Massachusetts judge has ruled Meta Platforms must face a lawsuit from the state’s attorney general over claims the company intentionally designed Instagram to be addictive for young users and misled the public about the platform’s dangers to teenagers’ mental health. The judge rejected Meta’s attempt to dismiss the case, which argued that it was protected by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. The court ruled Section 230 does not shield Meta from allegations regarding its own business practices, such as false statements about Instagram’s safety and the effectiveness of its age-verification systems.

The lawsuit, filed in October 2023, accuses Meta of exploiting teens’ psychological vulnerabilities through features like push notifications, “likes,” and infinite scrolling, which allegedly fuel addiction and harm young users. Internal data reportedly showed these harmful effects, but top executives, including CEO Mark Zuckerberg, allegedly dismissed concerns and did not implement suggested changes to improve user well-being. Meta disagreed with the ruling and maintains it is committed to supporting young users. This ruling follows similar legal challenges against Meta, with multiple pursuing claims the company’s platforms harm teens’ mental health