Meta rejects allegations it sought to hook children as landmark trial begins
Four lead states - California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey - accuse Meta of designing Facebook and Instagram to hook young users, fueling anxiety, depression and even suicide, and misleading consumers about the platforms' safety.
A group of 29 U.S. states has initiated a landmark trial against Meta Platforms, accusing the company of intentionally designing Facebook and Instagram to addict children and generate profit, potentially resulting in billions of dollars in penalties. The trial, which commenced on Tuesday in an Oakland, California federal court, will examine claims that Meta violated federal law by improperly collecting and using the personal data of underage users.
U.S. Deputy Attorney General Megan O'Neill stated that Meta's objective was to "hook the users, hold them for as long as they can, harvest their data, and then hide the truth from the public." However, Meta's lawyer, Paul Schmidt, maintains that while some users struggle from social media use, there is no clear link between social media and poor well-being.
The judge could order changes to Facebook and Instagram if Meta is found liable, potentially imposing penalties as high as $1.4 trillion.
Written by urgent.news from Economic Times Tech's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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