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WASHINGTON — <\/span>The Supreme Court<\/a> on Tuesday rejected a push to avoid a lawsuit alleging that Facebook and Instagram harmed young users, a decision that comes as social media companies increasingly face legal scrutiny<\/a>. <\/p>\n Parent company Meta Platforms Inc. appealed after Vermont\u2019s highest court allowed a suit filed by its attorney general in 2023 to move forward. The company is facing similar lawsuits from states across the country, accusing it of knowingly designing addictive features. <\/p>\n Meta had argued that it can\u2019t be sued in Vermont court because neither the company nor the app design has specific ties to the state. Vermont countered that the sites\u2019 large number of teen users gives its courts jurisdiction. <\/p>\n The Supreme Court declined to hear the appeal in a brief, unexplained order, as is typical. The procedural decision comes after court losses for Meta and YouTube in social media addiction lawsuits<\/a> in California and New Mexico.<\/p>\n Vermont’s lawsuit was filed after an investigation by a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general in several states. Newspaper reports based on Meta\u2019s own research also found that the company knew about the harms Instagram can cause teenagers \u2014 especially teen girls \u2014 when it comes to mental health and body image issues. One internal study cited 13.5% of teen girls saying Instagram makes thoughts of suicide worse and 17% of teen girls saying it makes eating disorders worse.<\/p>\n Almost all teens ages 13 to 17 in the U.S. report using a social media platform, with about a third saying they use social media \u201calmost constantly,\u201d according to the Pew Research Center.<\/p>\n Meta, for its part, has said that it has already introduced dozens of tools to support teens and their families and suggested it would have worked with the states on standards for youth social media use.<\/p>\n Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark applauded the decision, saying it affirms \u201cthat companies that choose to do business in Vermont, like Meta, can be held accountable when they harm kids.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n