US States Sue Meta, Alleging Harmful Impact On Teen Mental Health

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, will face lawsuits from U.S. states accusing it of promoting social media addiction among teens, following a ruling by a federal judge in California.

A US District Judge, based in Oakland, denied Meta’s attempt to dismiss the claims in two separate lawsuits filed last year—one involving over 30 states and the other solely by Florida.

Meta had argued that certain claims were preempted by federal law and that the states failed to identify any misleading statements made by the company.

However, the judge rejected Meta's motion to dismiss additional claims related to social media addiction filed by individual plaintiffs.

The states are seeking injunctions to halt Meta’s alleged illegal practices and are also pursuing unspecified monetary damages.