Meta just failed to make its biggest legal headache go away. US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers denied the company’s motion to dismiss claims from 29 state attorneys general who allege that Facebook and Instagram are deliberately designed to addict children and teenagers.
The ruling, handed down on June 30, means the states’ lawsuit will push forward into discovery and potentially trial.
What the states are actually claiming
The lawsuit is part of a multidistrict litigation case, MDL No. 3047, which consolidates social media addiction and personal injury claims into a single proceeding. The core claim is that Meta built addictive features into its platforms while explicitly targeting younger users, then hid the associated risks from parents and the public.
The allegations include consumer deception and violations of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, commonly known as COPPA. That federal law imposes strict requirements on how companies collect and use data from children under 13.
