Technology
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Meta child safety trial opens in Oakland
BBC News··19 Aug
A trial examining claims that Meta intentionally hooked children on Facebook and Instagram opened this week in Oakland, California, with a jury set to hear arguments over six weeks. Lawyers for California said millions of children aged 11 and 12 were found on Instagram, while Meta's representative said the company found just over 100,000 such users.
Prism
What It Means For You
- Parents can use the trial's evidence to inform decisions about how much access young children have to social platforms.
- The case could lead to design changes like ending infinite scroll or public like counts if the states prevail.
- Findings from this trial may influence future regulation of social media platforms used by minors globally.
What's Happening
- A jury in Oakland began hearing a lawsuit from 29 US states accusing Meta of hooking children on its platforms.
- California's attorney cited internal documents showing Meta was aware of platform features linked to reduced teen wellbeing.
- Meta's lawyer argued that social media addiction does not exist and disputed the scale of teen mental health harm.
The 2023 Lawsuit Behind This Trial
- The lawsuit was originally filed by attorneys general from 29 US states in 2023 over child privacy and safety concerns.
- Internal Meta documents shown in court reportedly reached as high as chief executive Mark Zuckerberg.
- States are demanding both financial damages and structural changes to Instagram and Facebook's design features.
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