Massachusetts Lawsuit Against Meta Over Alleged Social Media Harms to Children Advances
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has ruled that Meta Platforms must face a lawsuit alleging that its Instagram platform is harmful to children. The state claims that Meta designed Instagram to induce compulsive use among children and misled the public about its safety. The lawsuit seeks to apply the state's consumer protection statute, which prohibits unfair and deceptive business practices. Meta's attempt to dismiss the lawsuit was denied, with the court ruling that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act does not shield Meta from liability related to the design features of Instagram. This ruling follows other legal challenges against Meta, including a $375 million penalty in New Mexico for similar allegations. 
