Attorney General Bonta Secures Court Decision Largely Denying Meta’s Attempt to Evade Responsibility for Children’s Mental Health Crisis

OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta, along with a bipartisan coalition of 33 attorneys general, successfully blocked an attempt by Meta to dismiss the coalition’s lawsuit against the company for its part in harming children’s mental health and for allowing young children on its platforms in violation of federal law. In October 2023, Attorney General Bonta co-led a bipartisan coalition of 33 attorneys general in filing a federal lawsuit against Meta. Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, the lawsuit alleges that Meta, among other things, deceived the public regarding its design and deployment of harmful features on Instagram and Facebook that addict children and teens to their mental and physical detriment.

“Meta needs to be held accountable for the very real harm it has inflicted on children here in California and across the country,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Along with legislation providing for market-wide changes, this litigation will help determine how social media companies can be held accountable and how these companies can treat our children for decades to come. I have an immense amount of hope for the future. As the home to the greatest innovators in the world and a robust technology sector, California has a particular opportunity and obligation to be a catalyst for change. Meta can and must do better. Our children deserve their childhoods back.”