"Meta must face US state lawsuits over teen social media addiction", 16 October 2024.

Facebook parent company Meta... must face lawsuits by U.S. states accusing it of fueling mental health problems among teens by making its Facebook and Instagram platforms addictive, a federal judge in California ruled on Tuesday.

Oakland-based U.S. District Judge .... rejected Meta's bid to toss the claims made by the states in two separate lawsuits filed last year, one involving more than 30 states including California and New York and the other brought by Florida...

The ruling clears the way for states and other plaintiffs to seek more evidence and potentially go to trial. It is not a final ruling on the merits of their cases...

Lawyers for the personal injury plaintiffs in a joint statement called the ruling "a significant victory for young people nationwide who have been negatively impacted by addictive and harmful social media platforms."

A Meta spokesperson says that the company disagreed with the ruling overall and that it had "developed numerous tools to support parents and teens," including new "Teen Accounts" on Instagram with added protections...

The other social media companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The states are seeking court orders against Meta's allegedly illegal business practices and are seeking unspecified monetary damages....