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Instagram's parent company, Meta, is named in a 2023 multistate complaint and the ongoing MDL No. 3047 litigation, which alleges the platform was engineered to promote compulsive use among minors. The complaint draws heavily on Meta's own internal research, which reportedly found that teens described spending time on Instagram as one of the worst parts of using the app, with some describing their use in terms resembling addiction.
Instagram-specific features named in the litigation include:
Instagram's algorithm learns from user behavior and continually selects content likely to hold attention, feeding into autoplay and infinite scroll so a user rarely has to make a deliberate choice to keep going. Likes and comments add an unpredictable layer of social reward on top of that, which the complaint compares to gambling-style reinforcement. Notifications then pull users back in after they've left, and Stories create pressure to check the app before something disappears. The complaint alleges Meta deployed these features individually and in combination specifically to drive compulsive use in young users.
Instagram's Daily Limit feature, introduced in 2018, is also part of the litigation. According to the complaint, it functioned as a dismissible pop-up rather than an actual restriction, meaning teens could acknowledge the alert and keep scrolling.
In August 2026, California and a coalition of 51 attorneys general reached a proposed settlement with Meta, still subject to court approval, that requires significant structural changes for users under 18, including:
The settlement includes up to $17 billion in payments to states over ten years, though it's a remedial agreement rather than a court ruling that Instagram's design is defective.
The U.S. Surgeon General reports that up to 95% of teens ages 13 to 17 use social media, with over a third describing near-constant use. Regulators singled out Instagram's Like counts and cosmetic filters in particular, both tied to body image and self-esteem harm among adolescent users, which is part of why both were addressed directly in the 2026 settlement terms.
Meta's internal research reportedly found that teens described time spent on Instagram as one of the worst parts of using the app. Some described their use in terms resembling addiction. That internal finding is part of why regulators pushed for structural changes rather than relying on platforms to self-regulate.
If your child has been diagnosed with a mental health condition connected to Instagram's design, Atraxia Law can evaluate whether your situation fits the current litigation. We look at the specific features and circumstances behind your child's Instagram use and connect qualifying families with an attorney handling claims in the MDL. Contact Atraxia Law today for a free case evaluation.
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