Meta hooked children on Facebook and Instagram, court hears

A court is hearing claims that Meta intentionally hooked a generation of children on Facebook and Instagram, as the social media platform faces its largest legal challenge yet. The trial, which began on Tuesday in Oakland, California, involves a jury spending six weeks examining claims from attorneys representing several US states and the social media company itself.

California's lawyer argued that Meta knew about the negative impact of its platforms on teen mental health, while Meta claimed social media addiction is not a real issue. The lawsuit, filed in 2023 by 29 states including California and New York, accuses the company of violating federal and state privacy laws concerning children. They are seeking billions of dollars in damages and demanding changes to Instagram and Facebook, such as eliminating "like" counts and infinite scrolling.

During her opening remarks, California's lead attorney Megan O'Neill heavily relied on internal documents from Meta, including research, emails, and chat logs. One such document stated that "teens have an addict's narrative about use." O'Neill presented evidence that Meta designed features to increase time spent on the platforms, which she argued are detrimental to users' well-being and focus.

In response, Meta's attorney Paul Schmidt directly addressed the internal research O'Neill used. He pointed out that only about 1 in 5 teens said Instagram made them feel worse, with 41% reporting it made them feel better and another 41% stating it had no effect. Schmidt also challenged the notion of social media addiction, saying that Meta has acknowledged people can struggle with their use of the platforms and has introduced tools to address the issue.

He emphasized that Facebook and Instagram were not designed to be addictive and that there is no research proving an addiction to social media is possible.