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Meta set for Tennessee trial over claims Instagram was engineered to addict
Tennessee is seeking financial penalties and a court order to require Instagram to modify features the state says harm teens' mental health.
Meta Platforms is scheduled to face trial in Tennessee on Monday over the state's allegations that Instagram was intentionally designed to drive compulsive use among teens and contribute to a youth mental health crisis, Reuters reported.
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti's office says the company violated the state's consumer protection law by continuing to offer features it allegedly knew were dangerous without warning users, despite internal research it claims showed potential harm to teens.
The lawsuit focuses on aspects of Instagram's design and functionality, including autoplay, Reels, notifications, and features that make content disappear after a set period.
Meta argues that any alleged harm is tied to users' third-party content and that federal law, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, shields it from liability, while a company spokesperson said it has built-in controls and age-appropriate defaults for teen users in Tennessee.