Massachusetts court hears arguments in lawsuit alleging Meta designed
apps to be addictive to kids
[December 06, 2025]
By MICHAEL CASEY
BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts' highest court heard oral arguments Friday
in the state's lawsuit arguing that Meta designed features on Facebook
and Instagram to make them addictive to young users.
The lawsuit, filed in 2024 by Attorney General Andrea Campbell, alleges
that Meta did this to make a profit and that its actions affected
hundreds of thousands of teenagers in Massachusetts who use the social
media platforms.
“We are making claims based only on the tools that Meta has developed
because its own research shows they encourage addiction to the platform
in a variety of ways,” said State Solicitor David Kravitz, adding that
the state's claim has nothing to do the company's algorithms or failure
to moderate content.
Meta said Friday that it strongly disagrees with the allegations and is
“confident the evidence will show our longstanding commitment to
supporting young people.” Its attorney, Mark Mosier, argued in court
that the lawsuit “would impose liabilities for performing traditional
publishing functions” and that its actions are protected by the First
Amendment.
“The Commonwealth would have a better chance of getting around the First
Amendment if they alleged that the speech was false or fraudulent,”
Mosier said. “But when they acknowledge that its truthful that brings it
in the heart of the First Amendment.”
Several of the judges, though, seem to more concerned about Meta's
functions such as notifications than the content on its platforms.
“I didn't understand the claims to be that Meta is relaying false
information vis-a-vis the notifications but that it has created an
algorithm of incessant notifications ... designed so as to feed into the
fear of missing out, fomo, that teenagers generally have,” Justice
Dalila Wendland said. “That is the basis of the claim.”
Justice Scott Kafker challenged the notion that this was all about a
choose to publish certain information by Meta.
“It's not how to publish but how to attract you to the information,” he
said. “It's about how to attract the eyeballs. It's indifferent the
content, right. It doesn't care if it's Thomas Paine's ‘Common Sense’ or
nonsense. It's totally focused on getting you to look at it."
[to top of second column]
|
Attendees visit the Meta booth at the Game Developers Conference
2023 in San Francisco on March 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)
 Meta is facing federal and state
lawsuits claiming it knowingly designed features — such as constant
notifications and the ability to scroll endlessly — that addict
children.
In 2023, 33 states filed a joint lawsuit against the Menlo Park,
California-based tech giant claiming that Meta routinely collects
data on children under 13 without their parents’ consent, in
violation of federal law. In addition, states including
Massachusetts filed their own lawsuits in state courts over
addictive features and other harms to children.
Newspaper reports, first by The Wall Street Journal in the fall of
2021, found that the company knew about the harms Instagram can
cause teenagers — especially teen girls — when it comes to mental
health and body image issues. One internal study cited 13.5% of teen
girls saying Instagram makes thoughts of suicide worse and 17% of
teen girls saying it makes eating disorders worse.
Critics say Meta hasn't done enough to address concerns about teen
safety and mental health on its platforms. A report from former
employee and whistleblower Arturo Bejar and four nonprofit groups
this year said Meta has chosen not to take “real steps” to address
safety concerns, “opting instead for splashy headlines about new
tools for parents and Instagram Teen Accounts for underage users.”
Meta said the report misrepresented its efforts on teen safety.
___
Associated Press reporter Barbara Ortutay in Oakland, California,
contributed to this report.
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved |
