Meta Platforms has denied accusations made by U.S. states that it deliberately aimed to engage children with its Facebook and Instagram platforms for profit as a trial that could have a significant impact on some of the most widely used apps globally commenced on Tuesday.
A bipartisan group comprising 29 U.S. states is suing Meta, seeking potentially substantial penalties in the range of tens to hundreds of billions of dollars, along with alterations to Meta’s business practices. California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey are the lead states in the lawsuit against Meta. They allege that Meta designed Facebook and Instagram to attract young users, leading to issues such as anxiety, depression, and even suicide, while also deceiving consumers about the safety of the platforms. All 29 states have accused Meta of breaching federal law by improperly gathering and utilizing children’s personal data.
The trial taking place in the federal court in Oakland, Calif., is being viewed by experts as a critical legal examination of the impact of social media on young users. Meta, along with other social media entities like Snap, TikTok parent company ByteDance, and YouTube parent company Alphabet, are facing numerous lawsuits from states, municipalities, school districts, and individuals questioning whether their products are detrimental to young users.
During the trial’s opening statements, Megan O’Neill, a deputy attorney general for California, informed the jury that Meta’s business strategy was centered on engaging users, retaining them for as long as possible, collecting their data, and concealing the truth from the public. O’Neill emphasized that Meta particularly targeted children, emphasizing the need for the platform to assure concerned individuals about the safety of young users.
Meta’s legal representative, Paul Schmidt, acknowledged that some social media users encounter challenges but highlighted that research has not definitively established a correlation between adolescents’ social media usage and their well-being. Schmidt reiterated that Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s co-founder and CEO, shared the company’s commitment to enhancing its services rather than endangering users.
The trial will see former Meta safety engineer Arturo Bejar as the first witness for the states. Bejar has previously asserted that Meta was aware that its child safety tools were ineffective. Testifying against the company in four trials, Bejar revealed Meta’s lax monitoring approach towards ensuring children under 13 remained offline.
California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey are also advocating for significant changes to Facebook and Instagram, including eliminating features like likes and infinite scrolling, implementing time restrictions for younger users, and enforcing measures to prevent children under 13 from accessing the platforms.
The trial is expected to last six weeks, with Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram’s head Adam Mosseri anticipated to testify. Outside the courthouse, critics of Meta, including individuals who have faced tragic consequences linked to social media use, have voiced their concerns as the trial unfolds.