Meta’s purportedly harmful social media features on trial in California

Opening statements began on Tuesday in the multistate lawsuit accusing tech giant Meta of harming children by intentionally using addictive algorithms on Facebook and Instagram. California Attorney General Rob Bonta led the bipartisan, 29-state coalition in filing the 2023 lawsuit accusing Meta of intentionally exploiting children and teenagers for financial gain.

Meta deployed harmful features on its platforms that drove excessive use by children and teens to their mental and physical detriment, according to the state's filing. The coalition specifically accused Meta of violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA, regulating websites and online services directed towards children.

Bonta issued a Monday release ahead of Tuesday’s opening statements, vowing to hold Meta accountable and push for change. Meta designed Facebook and Instagram to keep kids engaged for longer and longer periods of time, to the point of harming their physical and mental well-being, he said. Exploiting children to boost corporate profits is both morally wrong and illegal, Bonta added. Bonta would appear in court alongside attorneys from co-filing states Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey.

How has Meta responded to the accusations? A Meta spokesperson characterized the states’ claims as limited and unsubstantiated, with extremely disproportionate financial demands. The states offered no proof that Meta misled users and tried to penalize Meta for industry-wide challenges with age verification, the spokesperson told WORLD on Tuesday. Meta planned to stand by its record of creating strong protections for teens, as states chase an outlandish payout, the spokesperson added. Meta’s opposition filing from December 2023 argued that it did not violate COPPA because its content did not meet the statute’s definition for “child directed” content.

The new trial came less than two weeks after a New Mexico judge issued a nearly $1 billion penalty against Meta, after a jury found the tech giant failed to protect children using its platforms. A Los Angeles jury also ordered Meta to pay about $3 million in damages in March, after finding that Meta's negligence contributed to a woman’s social media addiction and mental health issues.