Play store
A major US trial examining whether Meta deliberately designed Facebook and Instagram to keep children and teenagers engaged while concealing risks to their wellbeing began Tuesday, with 29 states accusing the company of putting profits ahead of child safety.
The states allege that features including unlimited scrolling, likes and other engagement tools were designed to encourage young users to spend more time on the platforms. They also accuse Meta of illegally collecting and using children’s personal information in violation of federal law.
The case could expose Meta to potentially enormous financial penalties and changes to how Facebook and Instagram operate if the court finds the company liable. The states say the likely damages could reach about $200 billion, while Meta has estimated that the maximum exposure under the claims could be as high as $1.4 trillion.
California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey are among the states leading the case. Their lawyers argue that Meta studied children’s behaviour and responses to online content to increase engagement and advertising revenue.
Megan O’Neill, a deputy attorney general for California, told the court that the states are not seeking to shut down Meta’s platforms but want the company to change practices they say expose children to unnecessary risks.
The states are seeking restrictions on certain engagement features, possible time limits for younger users and stronger measures to prevent children under 13 from accessing the platforms.
One of the state’s witnesses, former Meta safety engineer Arturo Bejar, testified that child safety was not given sufficient priority when some products, including Reels, were introduced.
Meta’s lawyer, Paul Schmidt, rejected the allegations and argued that scientific evidence does not establish a clear causal relationship between teenagers’ social-media use and declining mental health.
He said the company’s objective was to improve its products rather than harm young users, and argued that comments made by individual employees in private communications should not be treated as evidence that Meta’s products were deliberately designed to be addictive.
The company is also expected to challenge the states’ interpretation of internal communications and research.
The company has also faced other recent legal setbacks. A Los Angeles jury in March awarded $6 million in a case involving a young woman who alleged she became dependent on Instagram and YouTube as a child. Earlier this month, a New Mexico court ordered Meta to pay $567 million in a case involving allegations concerning the mental health of teenagers.
The current trial is expected to last about six weeks. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram head Adam Mosseri are expected to testify.
The outcome could have implications well beyond the 29 states involved, potentially influencing how social-media platforms design products for young users, collect children’s data and address concerns over excessive engagement.
