Did Meta ‘hook’ children to Facebook, Instagram for profit? 29 US states take tech giant to trial
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Did Meta ‘hook’ children to Facebook, Instagram for profit? 29 US states take tech giant to trial")
Representative image. Photograph: (AFP)
Meta faces a landmark US trial as 29 states accuse Facebook and Instagram of deliberately ‘hooking’ children, harming their wellbeing and exploiting their data for profit.
Meta is facing one of its biggest legal challenges yet as a coalition of 29 US states accuses the technology giant of deliberately designing Facebook and Instagram to keep children hooked, while downplaying the risks associated with its platforms. The closely watched trial began in a federal court in Oakland, California, on Tuesday (Aug 18). Four states, including California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey, are leading the case, alleging that Meta’s products contributed to anxiety, depression and other mental health problems among young users.
The states also accuse Meta of violating federal law by collecting and using children’s personal information improperly.
Opening the case for California, deputy attorney general Megan O’Neill alleged that Meta’s business model was to “hook the users, hold them for as long as they can, harvest their data, and then hide the truth from the public.”
“It worked especially well for kids,” O’Neill told the eight-member jury.
Meta rejected the allegations. The company’s lawyer, Paul Schmidt, acknowledged that some young people struggle with social media but argued that research does not establish a clear connection between adolescent social media use and poor wellbeing.
“They don’t believe they’re going to do well if people don’t like their service,” Schmidt said, referring to Meta’s leadership.
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The case could have significant consequences for Facebook and Instagram. US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers will ultimately decide Meta’s liability, while jurors are expected to issue an advisory verdict.
If Meta is found liable, the judge could impose civil penalties and order changes to the platforms. The states have proposed measures including removing likes and infinite scrolling, introducing time limits for younger users and strengthening restrictions on children under 13.
Former Meta safety engineer Arturo Bejar, who has previously criticised the company’s child-safety measures, was the first witness called by the states.
The trial is expected to last six weeks, with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram chief Adam Mosseri among those expected to testify.
