Meta rejects allegations Facebook, Instagram were designed to hook children

Meta faces major US trial over claims Facebook, Instagram harmed young users

Meta Platforms is facing a landmark federal trial after 29 US states accused Facebook and Instagram of deliberately keeping children hooked on its platforms while failing to adequately protect young users

The states are seeking potentially tens or hundreds of billions of dollars in penalties and changes to how Meta operates its services. The trial began in Oakland, California, on Tuesday and is expected to last six weeks

California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey are leading the case. They allege that Meta designed Facebook and Instagram to maximise engagement among young users, contributing to anxiety, depression and suicide, while misleading the public about the safety of its platforms

All 29 states have also accused Meta of improperly collecting and using children’s personal data in violation of federal law

During opening arguments, California Deputy Attorney General Megan O’Neill alleged that Meta’s business model focused on increasing user engagement, collecting data and concealing the risks associated with its platforms. She said the company specifically sought younger users and studied how they responded to online stimuli

Meta’s lawyer Paul Schmidt rejected the allegations. He acknowledged that some social media users face difficulties but argued that research does not establish a clear link between adolescent social media use and poor well-being

Schmidt also said Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg shares the company’s goal of improving its services, arguing that the company has no interest in making products users dislike or find harmful

The case could lead to major changes to Facebook and Instagram. The four lead states want Meta to remove features such as likes and infinite scrolling, introduce time limits for younger users and strengthen restrictions intended to keep children under 13 off the platforms

The jury is expected to issue an advisory verdict, while US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers will determine Meta’s liability. If Meta is found liable, she could impose civil penalties and order changes to its platforms

Meta has said the states could seek as much as $1.4 trillion in penalties. State attorneys general have said the figure could instead be closer to $200 billion

Former Meta safety engineer Arturo Bejar became the states’ first witness after opening arguments. Bejar has previously testified against Meta and has alleged that the company’s child safety systems were inadequate

He told jurors that products, including Reels, were launched without safety receiving sufficient consideration. He also described Meta’s approach to identifying children under 13 as inadequate

Meta had sought to block Bejar’s testimony over allegations that he deleted Signal messages involving former employees, but Judge Rogers rejected the request

Zuckerberg and Instagram chief Adam Mosseri are expected to testify during the trial. The lawsuit began in 2023, two years after former Meta employee and whistleblower Frances Haugen told a US Senate committee that the company knew its products posed risks to children

Meta and other social media companies, including Snap, ByteDance and Alphabet, are facing thousands of lawsuits over alleged harm to young users

Earlier this month, a New Mexico judge ordered Meta to pay $567 million to address teenagers’ mental health after the state’s attorney general pursued claims against the company. A separate case brought by Tennessee over similar allegations involving Instagram is also underway

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