US Supreme Court Refuses To Hear Meta’s Challenge In Vermont Instagram Addiction Lawsuit

The Supreme Court of the United States has refused to hear an appeal filed by Meta Platforms seeking dismissal of a lawsuit brought by the State of Vermont accusing Instagram of being intentionally designed to addict young users.

By declining to hear the matter, the Supreme Court allowed the lawsuit filed by Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark to proceed before Vermont courts. Meta had argued that Vermont courts lacked jurisdiction over the dispute and claimed that facing such suits across multiple states would violate its due process rights under the Fourteenth Amendment of the US Constitution.

The litigation forms part of a broader wave of legal actions across the United States against major social media companies over allegations that their platforms negatively affect children and teenagers. Vermont alleged that Instagram was designed to “exploit teenagers’ developing brains” to increase user engagement and advertising revenue while misleading users regarding platform safety.

The Vermont Supreme Court had earlier rejected Meta’s jurisdictional objections, observing that a company actively targeting and profiting from a state’s market can be required to answer legal claims in that jurisdiction. The US Supreme Court declined to interfere with that ruling.

The decision comes amid increasing legal scrutiny faced by Meta in youth addiction and child safety litigation. In recent months, courts in Massachusetts, New Mexico, and California have also delivered adverse rulings against the company in similar proceedings.