Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram, rejected accusations that it had deliberately developed its social networks to addict children and teenagers. The company began trial this Tuesday (18) in a federal court in Oakland, California, in one of the largest lawsuits ever filed in the United States about the effects of digital platforms on young people.
Meta rejects accusations of trying to addict young people to Facebook and Instagram
Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram, rejected accusations that it had deliberately developed its social networks to addict children and teenagers. The company began trial this Tuesday (18) in a federal court in Oakland, California, in...
The action involves a coalition of 29 North American states. California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey are ahead of this stage of the trial, which must analyze whether Meta misled the public about the risks of Facebook and Instagram, used resources capable of encouraging compulsive use and collected data from children without parental authorization.
- The states claim that the company exploited characteristics and vulnerabilities specific to children and adolescents to keep them connected to the platforms for longer, increasing data...
- During the opening of the trial, California Deputy Attorney General Megan O'Neill accused the company of putting profits ahead of the safety of minors.
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The action involves a coalition of 29 North American states. California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey are ahead of this stage of the trial, which must analyze whether Meta misled the public about the risks of Facebook and Instagram, used resources capable of encouraging compulsive use and collected data from children without parental authorization.
The states claim that the company exploited characteristics and vulnerabilities specific to children and adolescents to keep them connected to the platforms for longer, increasing data collection and revenue obtained from advertising.
During the opening of the trial, California Deputy Attorney General Megan O'Neill accused the company of putting profits ahead of the safety of minors.
According to the accusation, internal documents would show that Meta studied aspects of young people's behavior, such as the search for rewards and the importance of social approval, when developing its products.
Meta denies having created social networks to cause addiction
Meta's defense rejected the states' thesis. Attorney Paul Schmidt asked jurors to keep an "open mind" and said the company categorically disagrees with the allegations.
The company maintains that it has been adopting measures to make Facebook and Instagram safer for teenagers and argues that mental health problems among young people have different causes, which cannot be attributed exclusively to social networks.
The defense also highlighted actions to prevent children under the minimum age from accessing platforms. According to Meta's lawyer, around 600,000 user accounts under the age of 13 were removed in the three months before the trial.
The lawsuit also questions the collection of information from children under the age of 13 without authorization from their guardians, which, according to the states, would violate federal legislation protecting children's privacy.
Former employee says he warned Meta about risks
One of the first witnesses heard was Arturo Béjar, former engineering director at Facebook who worked on issues related to security, bullying and harassment on the platforms.
Béjar said he had warned company executives about damage that could be avoided with changes to how Instagram works. According to him, internal proposals to reduce adolescents' exposure to harmful content did not always result in measures considered sufficiently effective.
The former employee had already publicly criticized Meta's actions in relation to the safety of teenagers and became one of the main witnesses in lawsuits and discussions about the impact of social networks on minors.
States can charge billions of values from the Meta
In addition to compensation and financial sanctions, states want changes to the way Facebook and Instagram work for younger users.
Before the trial began, Meta said in court documents that the penalties claimed by California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey could reach $1.4 trillion. The company considers the value disproportionate.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta stated that one of the objectives of the action is to modify the company's practices and expand the protection of children and adolescents on social networks.
The trial is expected to last around six weeks and is expected to feature testimony from high-ranking executives, including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram chief Adam Mosseri.
The case is part of a broader legal offensive against social media companies in the United States. Meta, Google, TikTok and Snap face different lawsuits related to allegations that resources used on the platforms can encourage compulsive behavior and contribute to harm to the health of children and adolescents.
In March, a California jury had already held Meta and YouTube responsible in another case involving the effects of the use of social networks on a young woman. The companies contested the decision.
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