Meta meets its own 'tobacco' moment in court

In a new trial in the United States, social media giant Meta faces allegations of harming children, marking a significant moment akin to the tobacco industry trial in the 1990s. After a coalition of states sued Meta in 2023, alleging that the company designed addictive features for kids in its apps, four states - California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey - were chosen to represent their claims.

Top prosecutors from these states aim to prove in federal court that Meta intentionally made Facebook and Instagram addictive for children.

Meta strongly denies these allegations and claims it has a commitment to supporting young people. The company states that it has listened to parents, worked with experts and law enforcement. While not Meta's first lawsuit, this case could be one of the most consequential. Vincent Joralemon, a director at Berkeley's Life Sciences Law and Policy Center, likens the situation to the tobacco industry trial in the 1990s, where decades of research proved tobacco's health risks and the industry's deliberate concealment of these harms.

Dozens of US states sued four major tobacco companies, leading to a landmark settlement in 1998 that included financial penalties and changes to marketing practices, particularly targeting children.

Jury selection begins in Oakland today, with opening statements expected to start on August 18. Meta faces demands for changes to its apps and financial penalties reaching up to $1.4 trillion, nearly its entire market value of $1.5 trillion. While money isn't Meta's biggest concern, the potential reputational damage and forced changes to its apps are significant.

Meta founder and chief Mark Zuckerberg is expected to testify, along with other top executives. The case could mark the beginning of a broader reckoning for Meta, according to Nora Freeman Engstrom, a law professor at Stanford. She emphasizes the importance of examining the gap between what Meta knew privately and what it disclosed publicly.

Meta remains confident in its record of protecting teens online and will continue to defend itself against these claims. Similar lawsuits involving Snap, TikTok, YouTube, and Meta resulted in a $27 million settlement in Kentucky to avoid a lengthy trial that could set a precedent for around 1,200 similar lawsuits. In May, a federal appeals court ruled that more than 3,000 additional lawsuits against Meta, Google, Snap, and TikTok can proceed.