CALIFORNIA: Meta faced its biggest legal challenge over its social media platforms on Tuesday as a US court began hearing allegations that the company deliberately designed Facebook and Instagram to keep children and teenagers engaged.
The six-week trial in Oakland, California, stems from a 2023 lawsuit filed by 29 US states, including California and New York. The states accuse Meta of violating federal and state laws protecting children and of failing to adequately prevent users under 13 from accessing its platforms, BBC reported.
The states are seeking billions of dollars in damages and are also asking Meta to make changes to Facebook and Instagram, including removing features such as “like” counts and infinite scrolling.
During opening arguments, attorneys for the states and Meta presented sharply different accounts of the company’s practices and the impact of its platforms on young users.
Megan O’Neill, a lead attorney for California, told jurors that Meta knew millions of 11- and 12-year-olds were using Instagram but did little to prevent them from accessing the platform. Meta disputed the claim, saying its records identified slightly more than 100,000 users in that age group, according to BBC.
O’Neill also argued that Meta was aware of the potential negative effects of its platforms on teenagers’ mental health. She cited internal company documents, employee emails and chat messages as evidence that Meta understood the risks.
One internal research document cited in court said that teenagers had “an addict’s narrative about use” of Instagram. Another said features designed to increase the amount of time users spend on the platform could conflict with their well-being.
O’Neill accused Meta of deliberately targeting young users and attempting to convince the public that its platforms were safe for children despite its internal findings.
Meta’s lead attorney, Paul Schmidt, challenged the states’ interpretation of the evidence. Referring to an internal survey presented by O’Neill, he acknowledged that one in five teenagers said Instagram made them feel worse, but noted that 41% said the platform made them feel better and another 41% said it had no effect.
Schmidt also rejected the claim that Meta intentionally made its platforms addictive. He said the company recognised that some people struggle with social media use and had introduced tools to address the issue, but argued that scientific research has not established social media addiction as a distinct condition, the BBC report said.
He further argued that requiring Meta to verify the age of every user would create privacy concerns because the same privacy laws cited by the states restrict how the company can collect, retain and use users’ personal information.
The trial is expected to examine Meta’s internal research, product-design decisions, child safety measures and its handling of concerns about the impact of Facebook and Instagram on young users.
(Inputs from BBC)
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