Massachusetts court hears arguments in lawsuit alleging apps designed by Meta are addictive for children

Massachusetts‘The Supreme Court on Friday heard oral arguments in the state’s case. meta Designed features Facebook And Instagram To make them addicted to young users.

The lawsuit, filed in 2024 by Attorney General Andrea Campbell, alleges that Meta did so to make a profit and that its actions affected hundreds of thousands of teenagers in Massachusetts who use the social media platform.

State Solicitor David Kravitz said, “We are only making claims based on the tools that Meta has developed because its own research shows that they encourage addiction to the platform in a variety of ways.” He said the state’s claim had nothing to do with the company’s algorithms or failure to moderate content.

Meta said on Friday that it strongly disagrees with the allegations and is confident that the evidence will show our long-term commitment to supporting young people. Its attorney, Mark Mosier, argued in court that the lawsuit would “impose liabilities on traditional publishing operations” and that its actions are protected by the First Amendment.

“If the Commonwealth alleged that the speech was false or fraudulent, they would have a better chance of surviving the First Amendment,” Mosier said. “But when they admit it’s true it brings it into the heart of the First Amendment.”

Meta is facing federal and state lawsuits claiming it deliberately designed features — like constant notifications and the ability to scroll endlessly — to 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. Additionally, states including Massachusetts filed their own lawsuits in state courts over the addictive characteristics of the drug and other harms it causes to children.

Critics say Meta has not done enough to address concerns about the safety and mental health of teens on its platforms. A report this year by former employee and whistleblower Arturo Bejar and four nonprofit groups said Meta chose not to take “real steps” to address security concerns, “instead opting to make splashy headlines about new tools for parents and Instagram teen accounts for underage users.”

Meta said the report misrepresents its efforts on teen safety.

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Associated Press reporter Barbara Ortutay in Oakland, CaliforniaContributed to this report.