US Supreme Court won’t hear Meta’s challenge to Vermont social media addiction lawsuit

The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear Meta’s appeal in a Vermont case accusing Instagram of being designed to be addictive for young users, so the state’s lawsuit will now move forward in Vermont courts.

What the Supreme Court Did

• The justices refused to take up Meta’s petition asking them to overturn a Vermont Supreme Court decision that had allowed the case to proceed.

• By denying review (without a written opinion), the U.S. Supreme Court leaves the Vermont Supreme Court’s ruling in place, meaning Meta must continue litigating the case in Vermont state court.

The Underlying Vermont Lawsuit

• Vermont’s attorney general sued Meta Platforms and Instagram in 2023, alleging violations of the Vermont Consumer Protection Act based on claims that Instagram was intentionally engineered to be addictive and harmful to children and teens.

• The complaint also alleges Meta misled users and the public about Instagram’s safety and the risks of its design, while monetizing young users’ attention and data through targeted advertising.

The Jurisdiction Fight Meta Lost

• Meta’s central argument was that Vermont courts lack personal jurisdiction, stressing that Meta has no offices, employees, or property in Vermont and that product design and key decisions occur elsewhere.

• Vermont courts, including the Vermont Supreme Court, held that Meta’s deliberate, ongoing engagement with Vermont users and businesses—through user agreements, targeted ads, and data-driven research on Vermont teens—created sufficient “minimum contacts” to justify specific personal jurisdiction for claims tied to Vermont users’ harms.

Why the Case Matters for Tech and States

• Meta warned that letting Vermont exercise jurisdiction this way could “open the floodgates,” exposing large internet platforms to similar suits from attorneys general in any state over nationally designed products.

• Vermont’s high court rejected that concern, reasoning that due process is satisfied when a company purposefully exploits a particular state’s market and the claims arise out of that conduct; it emphasized that Vermont can only hear cases tied to Vermont users, not those from other states.

What Happens Next in Vermont

• With the jurisdiction issue resolved (at least for now), the case will proceed in Vermont Superior Court into discovery, motion practice on the merits, and potentially trial on whether Instagram’s design and Meta’s representations violated Vermont consumer protection law.

• The case joins a broader wave of federal and state actions and private suits targeting alleged “addictive” or harmful design features of social media platforms used by children and teenagers, which could influence both platform design and regulatory responses nationwide.