Meta hooked children on Facebook and Instagram, US court hears

A lawsuit filed by 29 US states, including California and New York, claims that Meta intentionally drew children as young as 11 and 12 to Facebook and Instagram, leading to a potential legal battle. The trial, which began on Tuesday in Oakland, California, will last for six weeks as a jury examines claims brought by attorneys representing multiple US states and Meta's own legal team.

California's lawyer argued that Meta found "millions" of 11 and 12-year-olds on Instagram and did little to prevent them from joining. Meta's representative countered that only about 100,000 such users were found and denied the existence of social media addiction. The trial involves a lawsuit filed in 2023, accusing Meta of violating federal and state privacy laws for children.

The states are seeking billions of dollars in damages and are requesting changes to Instagram and Facebook, such as eliminating "like" counts and infinite scroll. In her opening remarks, California's lead attorney, Megan O’Neill, relied on internal research, employee emails, and chat logs provided by Meta, including a document stating that "teens have an addict’s narrative about use."

O’Neill also highlighted Meta's efforts to assure the public that their platforms were safe for kids while highlighting the discrepancy between Meta's public statements and internal research. Paul Schmidt, lead attorney for Meta, addressed the internal research, pointing out that 41% of teens said Instagram made them feel better and another 41% said it had no effect.

Schmidt also challenged the claim that Meta intentionally targeted young users, arguing that privacy laws prevented them from effectively tracking underage users and questioned the existence of social media addiction.