Meta faces a seven-week federal trial over allegations that Facebook and Instagram unlawfully collected children’s data and were deliberately designed to keep young users engaged, with states seeking nationwide changes to features including infinite scroll, notifications and age controls.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Meta Platforms Inc. is heading into one of the most consequential youth social media trials to date as 29 states challenge the company over allegations that Facebook and Instagram illegally collected data from children and used platform features designed to keep young people continuously engaged.
The Oakland, California, proceeding begins Wednesday with jury selection and is expected to last approximately seven weeks, according to Just the News. Opening statements are scheduled for Aug. 18.
Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram chief Adam Mosseri are expected to testify.
At stake are not only potentially enormous financial consequences but changes that could reshape how Meta operates Facebook and Instagram for young users nationwide.
The 29-state coalition alleges Meta improperly collected and used children’s personal information in violation of federal law. California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey are also advancing claims that Meta intentionally designed features to keep young users hooked while misleading consumers about the safety of its platforms.
The states are asking the court to require age restrictions and broad design changes, including removing features such as infinite scroll and certain notifications. They also seek measures such as usage time limits and changes that would prioritize young users’ well-being over maximizing engagement.
Meta has estimated that potential exposure connected to the case could reach as high as $1.4 trillion, an amount approaching the company’s reported market capitalization of approximately $1.5 trillion. The attorneys general involved, however, have not publicly disclosed how much they may ultimately seek.
The company rejects the allegations.
“We’ve listened to parents, worked with experts and law enforcement, and conducted in-depth research to understand the issues that matter most,” a Meta spokesperson said in a statement provided to Reuters.
The spokesperson said Meta disagrees with the states’ accusations and is confident the evidence will demonstrate its commitment to supporting young people.
The Oakland proceeding is part of a far broader legal confrontation over social media and children.
More than 3,000 lawsuits have reportedly been filed in federal court by states, municipalities, school districts and individuals against Meta, Snap Inc. and TikTok parent ByteDance, alleging that their platforms harmed young users.
Meta itself has warned investors that the expanding litigation could substantially affect its business and financial performance.
The company has already faced adverse outcomes in cases that reached juries.
In New Mexico, a judge ordered Meta to pay $567 million and implement changes to its platforms after finding the company responsible for contributing to a mental health crisis among children in the state.
Meta also settled a lawsuit brought by a Kentucky school district that had been scheduled for trial in June.
In defending such litigation, Meta has argued in part that it could not have deceived users about whether its products were addictive because “social media addiction” is not formally recognized as a psychiatric condition.
The lawsuit now reaching trial dates to 2023 and followed a multistate investigation into how Facebook and Instagram affect children and teenagers.
That scrutiny intensified after former Meta employee Frances Haugen testified before a U.S. Senate committee in 2021. Haugen alleged that the company possessed internal knowledge that its products could harm young users and understood measures that could make them safer but prioritized profits instead.
“Meta knows its platforms are harming children and teens but continues to keep kids addicted, as we’ve alleged in our lawsuit,” New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said in a statement reported by Reuters. “Our kids are not data points to be monetized.”
Meta attempted to postpone the Oakland trial and halt thousands of related cases but lost those efforts Monday when a U.S. court dismissed its appeal of rulings permitting the litigation to continue. The court determined that Meta had brought the appeal prematurely.
U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers will preside over the trial and is expected to issue a ruling after proceedings conclude in October.
Rogers has taken the unusual step of empaneling an advisory jury. Jurors will answer specific questions selected by the judge and provide verdicts intended to inform her decision, but Rogers will retain authority over the final ruling.
She previously presided over Elon Musk’s lawsuit against OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman, which was dismissed by a jury.
The Meta trial arrives amid increasing international pressure on governments and technology companies to restrict children’s access to social media.
The United Kingdom has announced a nationwide social media prohibition for children under 16, while Australia has also moved toward an under-16 social media ban.
Public concern in the United States is similarly widespread.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll released last week found that 85% of Americans believe social media can be addictive for children, while 61% said social media companies should face stricter oversight.
Those concerns now form the backdrop to a federal trial that could determine more than whether Meta violated laws governing children’s data and consumer protection.
If the states prevail on their broader requests, the court could require significant changes to some of Facebook and Instagram’s most familiar design features, potentially affecting how millions of young users interact with Meta’s platforms across the country.
Original article
Comments