Meta Faces Lawsuit from 29 U.S. States Over Social Media Addiction

Meta, which has recently suffered a series of legal defeats regarding the harmful effects of social media, is now set to face an addiction lawsuit filed collectively by 29 U.S. states.

Reuters reported on June 30 (local time) that Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in Oakland denied Meta's motion to dismiss the lawsuit brought by attorneys general from 29 states, including California and Colorado.

Meta had argued that the case should be dismissed, claiming that "social media addiction" is not a medically recognized condition and that its statements asserting its platforms are not addictive cannot be considered false.

However, in her ruling, Judge Rogers noted, "The attorneys general have offered a reasonable interpretation of Meta’s statements as meaning that Facebook and Instagram were not designed to induce compulsive use to the point of harming teenagers," adding that "this is a matter of factual dispute."

In other words, the judge rejected Meta's argument that "addiction" must be interpreted strictly as a psychiatric term, instead accepting the plaintiffs' argument that it should be interpreted in its everyday sense.

Judge Rogers emphasized that the facts based on this interpretation can be determined by a jury based on evidence.

On the same day, Judge Rogers also issued a summary judgment in favor of the state governments regarding the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), ruling that Meta failed to comply with relevant procedures, such as providing notice and obtaining parental consent.

The state governments filed the lawsuit in 2023, alleging that Facebook and Meta have adopted designs that cause depression, anxiety, insomnia, interference with academic and daily life, and self-harm among children and adolescents.

In response to the decision, Meta stated, "We strongly disagree with these claims and look forward to demonstrating through evidence that we have long supported young people."

The trial for this case is scheduled to begin on August 18.

In addition to this case, Judge Rogers is presiding over lawsuits filed by approximately 2,600 individuals, school districts, and local governments regarding the addictive nature of social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, and TikTok.

Meta has been losing a series of lawsuits related to the harmful effects of social media.

Previously, in a lawsuit at a Los Angeles court in California involving a plaintiff in her 20s known as "Kaylee G.M.," Meta and Google were ordered to pay a total of $6 million (approximately 9 billion KRW) in damages. The company was also fined $375 million (approximately 560 billion KRW) in a lawsuit filed by the state of New Mexico.

Furthermore, a lawsuit filed by a school district in eastern Kentucky was settled out of court.

(Photo: Getty Images Korea)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.