Facebook and Instagram are Designed to Create Addiction: Meta Tries, but Judge Rejects the Appeal

A federal judge has rejected Meta's request to dismiss the lawsuit brought by 29 state attorneys general in the United States, which accuses Facebook and Instagram of being built to create addiction among young people. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, of the federal district court in Oakland, California, dismissed much of the company's claims regarding allegations of deception and unfair business practices.

The 38-page verdict offers no relief for Meta even on the front of protecting minors' privacy. The judge granted the states summary judgment on the violation of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), determining that the company failed to meet the notification and parental consent requirements mandated by federal law before collecting data from users under 13 years old.

However, the more sensitive issues of the case remain open and will go before a jury: whether the two platforms were indeed designed to generate compulsive use, whether Meta publicly denied this circumstance while internally being aware of it, and whether the social networks were even partly aimed at a minor audience. The trial on these specific allegations, related to lawsuits filed by California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey, is already scheduled for August 18.

The Allegations: Platforms Designed for Compulsive Use

The states argue that Meta intentionally designed Facebook and Instagram to encourage compulsive use among children and adolescents while simultaneously concealing the mental health risks associated with prolonged use. The situation intertwines with a larger litigation: over 2,600 plaintiffs, including individual individuals, school districts, and local governments, have already initiated parallel lawsuits against the company for the same alleged damages.

Meta completely denies the allegations. In a statement released after the ruling, the company stated that it is "strongly disagreeing" with the claims, adding that it is "confident that the evidence will demonstrate its long-standing commitment to supporting youth." The defense also rests on a clinical argument: according to Meta, "social media addiction" is not a recognized psychiatric condition, and its platforms are designed for a general audience, not for users under 13 years old.

With 29 states now authorized to proceed beyond the dismissal phase, the company enters a discovery phase that could force it to release internal documents, corporate communications, and product decisions related to engaging younger users on its platforms. Meanwhile, on the market, Meta's stock closed at $563.29 (+0.12%), then fell to $562.05 in after-hours trading: a contained setback, reflecting how Wall Street currently considers the immediate financial impact of the situation to be limited.