A Massachusetts Superior Court judge has ruled Meta must face a state lawsuit , alleging the company knowingly designed and deployed features harmful to young online users.
Suffolk County Superior Court Judge Peter Krupp issued the ruling Thursday in response to Meta’s request to have the case tossed.
The social media giant argued the suit created a nuisance and violated Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which can protect tech companies from being held liable for information uploaded by their users.
In his ruling, made public Friday, Krupp wrote Section 230 does not apply to the suit’s claims due to Meta’s own statements about its platforms’ safety and publishing conduct.
Massachusetts was among dozens of states to file suit against Meta last year over accusations the company knowingly designed and implemented features that were detrimental to the mental health of young users.
In doing so, the tech company allegedly misrepresented the safety of its users to the public, the suits argue.