Meta just lost a bid to keep one of the many youth-addiction lawsuits off its doorstep. The US Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to hear Meta's appeal in a case brought by Vermont's attorney general, leaving in place a state ruling that lets a suit over Instagram's impact on young users move forward, Reuters reports. Vermont alleges Meta engineered Instagram to hook teens by exploiting their developing brains, then misled families about the platform's safety while profiting from targeted ads. The lawsuit followed an investigation by a bipartisan group of state attorneys general.
Meta had argued that Vermont courts lack jurisdiction because the company and the app designer don't have specific ties to the state and the alleged misrepresentations were not made from there, the AP reports. Vermont's top court said a company "that reaches out and purposefully avails itself of a forum state's market for its own economic gain" can be expected to account for its conduct in that state's courts.
- "Meta knowingly designed and developed Instagram features to exploit teens' vulnerabilities to maximize revenue," Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark said in a statement when the lawsuit was filed in 2023. "This is reprehensible and a violation of Vermont's Consumer Protection Act. This lawsuit aims to hold Meta accountable." After Tuesday's ruling, she said it affirms that "companies that choose to do business in Vermont, like Meta, can be held accountable when they harm kids."
The case is part of a coordinated push by 42 state attorneys general and a broader wave of legal challenges targeting social media's role in youth mental health. Meta has recently faced a $375 million penalty in New Mexico, an unfavorable ruling from Massachusetts' high court, and a negligence verdict in California that also hit Google's parent Alphabet. The Vermont lawsuit, filed under the state's consumer protection law, now heads back to state court.
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