Meta defends its child safety efforts but critics say the social media giant falls short

California Attorney General Rob Bonta, along with Colorado Attorney General Philip Weiser and New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport, recently addressed a lawsuit against Meta during a press conference in Oakland, California. The lawsuit alleges that Meta's social media empire, including Instagram and Facebook, harms children by deliberately designing features to get them hooked on the platforms.

The tech giant is defending itself against allegations in a federal court, with four states seeking billions of dollars in damages and fundamental changes to how Meta runs the apps. In opening statements, Meta's lawyer, Paul Schmidt, emphasized that child safety is a priority for the company and that it takes action to address the issue.

However, critics argue that Meta's safety record falls short and that many of its protections are ineffective. Marc Berkman, executive director of the Organization for Social Media Safety, stated that Meta introduced safeguards in response to public pressure rather than due to genuine concern for children's well-being.