Meta faces landmark US trial over alleged harm to children

As part of an ongoing effort to address digital harms caused by tech companies, a group of 29 US states sued Meta, specifically its Instagram and Facebook apps, on Tuesday. The company was accused of intentionally designing platforms that can hook kids and teens into using them for extended periods of time.

The trial, which will be conducted by US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland, California. Prosecutors have alleged that Meta has been misleading the public when it comes to the safety of their platforms for younger users. And that Meta has illegally amassed large amounts of personal information from kids and teens.

Leading this effort are California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey, all of whom seek both financial penalties. And significant changes to how the company operates its platforms, with increased protections for young users and perhaps even limitations on some platform features designed to prolong usage.

Eight members of an advisory jury will listen to the presentation of evidence but Rogers’ decision on how to rule will carry more weight than others involved in the process. Trial proceedings are set to last several weeks and it would not surprise anyone if Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg or other senior company executives were called to testify.

But for now, the firm says there’s no basis to believe anything negative about their actions. And that they have done everything possible to protect teens who use their social media sites. They say they can’t see evidence that the states showed Instagram and Facebook contributed to the damages listed in this lawsuit.

This case represents one of the largest legal challenges that Meta faces over how it treats young users on its platform. If Meta loses this case, it will be forced to make sweeping changes to how all the largest social media platforms operate for kids and teenagers.