BOSTON, April 10 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court of Massachusetts ruled on Friday that Meta Platforms must face a lawsuit brought by the state attorney general, alleging that the parent company of Facebook and Instagram intentionally designed features deliberately intended to addict young users of its platforms.

The ruling marks the first time a state high court has considered whether federal law, which typically protects internet companies from lawsuits related to user-generated content, would also block lawsuits alleging that companies like Meta intentionally cause addiction among young people.

The company denied these claims, stating that it is taking extensive measures to maintain user safety.

The decision followed a landmark trial in which a Los Angeles jury ruled on March 25 that Meta and Alphabet's Google were negligent in designing social media platforms that harmed young people. The jury awarded a total of $6 million in damages to a 20-year-old woman who said she had been addicted to social media since childhood.

The case brought by Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell is one of at least nine cases brought by state attorneys general since 2023, including one filed by Iowa Attorney General Brenna Byrd on Wednesday.

The lawsuit stated that features on Instagram, such as instant notifications, "likes" on users' posts, and the infinite scrolling feature, were designed to exploit the psychological vulnerabilities of teenagers, particularly "the fear of missing out."

The state claimed that internal data showed the platform was addictive and harmful to children, yet top executives refused to make changes that internal research said could benefit teenagers.

Meta sought to evade the Massachusetts case, relying on Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996, a federal law that generally protects internet companies from lawsuits related to user-generated content.