A Massachusetts judge has denied Meta’s bid to dismiss the state’s lawsuit alleging the social media titan purposely deployed and misrepresented features designed to exploit children’s psychological vulnerabilities.
Meta —the parent company of social platforms Facebook, Instagram, and Threads — argued that Massachusetts’ case was barred by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996, a federal law that shields internet companies from lawsuits over content posted by users.
The law, wrote Suffolk County Superior Court Judge Peter B. Krupp, did not apply to false statements Meta allegedly made about Instagram’s safety, efforts made to shield young users' well-being, or age-verification systems.
“Although Meta is aware that individual...
