Mass. court lets AG’s Meta lawsuit proceed

Massachusetts’ highest court has allowed Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s lawsuit against Meta to keep going, rejecting Meta’s bid to end the case early. (mass.gov) In a ruling issued April 10, the Supreme Judicial Court said Section 230 of the federal Communications Decency Act does not block Massachusetts’ claims at this stage. The case was filed in Suffolk Superior Court on October 24, 2023. (mass.gov) The state says Meta designed Instagram features to drive compulsive use by children and teens, including infinite scroll, frequent notifications, autoplay Stories and Reels, and other tools meant to trigger fear of missing out. Campbell’s office also says Meta misled the public about risks to young users. (mass.gov) The court drew a line between claims over user posts and claims over product design and company statements. Its opinion said Section 230 protects platforms from liability tied to third-party content, but not from claims that Meta’s own business practices were unfair or deceptive. (mass.gov) The ruling landed two days after the Massachusetts House passed a youth social media bill by a 129-25 vote. That bill would require platforms to bar children under 14 from accounts and require parental consent for 14- and 15-year-olds. (wgbh.org) That same House bill would require age-verification systems, a provision that has drawn privacy objections from advocacy groups. Fight for the Future said the requirement “kills anonymity online,” and Act On Mass warned adults could be pushed to submit biometric data to prove their age. (wgbh.org) Meta said in court filings that federal law should shield it from the Massachusetts suit, and the company has denied the allegations. Reuters reported Meta says it takes extensive steps to keep teens and young users safe on its platforms. (usnews.com) The Massachusetts case is part of a broader legal push against Meta over youth harm. Reuters reported at least nine state attorneys general have pursued similar state-court cases since 2023, while 34 other states are pursuing related claims in federal court. (usnews.com) The pressure has also grown outside Massachusetts. On March 25, a Los Angeles jury found Meta and Google negligent in a social media addiction case and awarded $6 million, and a day earlier another jury ordered Meta to pay $375 million in a New Mexico case over platform safety. (usnews.com) For now, the Massachusetts ruling does not decide whether Meta violated state law. It means Campbell’s case survives the immunity fight and moves deeper into court as Beacon Hill debates a new set of rules for minors online. (mass.gov; wgbh.org))