Meta trial begins with states accusing social media giant of exploiting,
Meta Platforms rejected accusations by U.S. states that it intentionally sought to addict children to its Facebook and Instagram platforms in pursuit of profit as a trial that that could reshape some of the most popular apps on the planet got underway Tuesday
A bipartisan group of 29 U.S. states is suing Meta, seeking potentially tens or hundreds of billions of dollars in penalties and changes to how Meta does business.
Four lead states — California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey — accused Meta of designing Facebook and Instagram to hook young users, fuelling anxiety, depression and even suicide, and misleading consumers about the platforms’ safety. All 29 states accused Meta of violating federal law by improperly collecting and using children’s personal data.
Experts have called the trial in the Oakland, Calif., federal court, which heard opening statements Tuesday, the biggest legal test yet of social media’s effects on young users. Meta and other social media companies including Snap, TikTok parent ByteDance and YouTube parent Alphabet face thousands of lawsuits by states, municipalities, school districts and individuals over whether their products harm young users.
Megan O’Neill, a deputy attorney general for California, told the eight-person jury that Meta’s business model was to “hook the users, hold them for as long as they can, harvest their data, and then hide the truth from the public.”
“It worked especially well for kids,” O’Neill added. “Meta needed kids, and it needed to reassure the people who cared about those kids that the kids are safe.”
A landmark U.S. federal trial over youth safety on Meta platforms is now underway. States including California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey are seeking billions of dollars in damages for product designs that are allegedly ‘addictive’ to children. The trial is expected to last at least six weeks, and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, could be called to testify.
Meta’s lawyer Paul Schmidt said there was “no dispute” that some social media users face struggles, but that research showed no clear link between adolescents’ social media use and a lack of well-being. He also said Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s co-founder and CEO, shared the company’s desire to improve its services, and not make them dangerous.
“They don’t believe they’re going to do well if people don’t like their service,” Schmidt said.
Judge could order changes to Instagram, Facebook
Jurors are expected to issue an advisory verdict — a non-binding position the judge could take into consideration as guidance — but U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers will ultimately determine Meta’s liability.
If she finds Meta liable, Rogers could impose civil penalties and order changes to Facebook and Instagram. Meta has said penalties could be as high as $1.4 trillion US,…
Read More: Meta trial begins with states accusing social media giant of exploiting,