What the social media addiction lawsuit could cost Meta
A landmark federal trial has begun in the US against Meta, brought by 29 state attorneys general. They accuse Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, of designing its platforms to be addictive for young users and collecting data on minors.
The story so far
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How outlets cover it
5 outletsNot rated on the left–right scale. It describes Western party politics and doesn’t fit state media or outlets outside that system, so we show ownership and country instead.
Open questions and key claims
Judge Bryan Biedscheid called Meta a 'public nuisance' akin to air pollution.
New Mexico court ordered Meta to pay $567m for mental health harm to children from its platforms.
Judge Bryan Biedscheid stated $420m of the payment will fund treatment services for young people.
Meta will appeal the court's ruling, stating they disagree and will defend themselves against claims misrepresenting facts.
Meta disagrees with the ruling and will appeal.
Meta has stated it will appeal the ruling and expressed confidence in its record of protecting teens.
States are seeking extensive financial damages from Meta that could total as much as $1.4 trillion.
Meta has harnessed powerful and unprecedented technologies to entice, engage, and ultimately ensnare youth and teens for profit.
Who and where
Related stories over time
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- Jan 11 – Jan 16 earlierAustralia declares child social media ban victory as 4.7m accounts closed6 articles · 5 outlets
- Feb 18 – Feb 20 earlierSocial media companies face legal reckoning over mental health harms to children7 articles · 4 outlets
- Feb 26 – Feb 27 earlierInstagram to alert parents if teens repeatedly search self-harm terms3 articles · 2 outlets
- Mar 20 – Mar 25 earlier
- Jul 10 earlierEU says ‘addictive’ features on Instagram and Facebook breach its rules3 articles · 3 outlets
- Jul 10 – Jul 11 earlierMeta backtracks on AI-image feature for Instagram due to privacy backlash3 articles · 3 outlets
- Aug 6 – Aug 19◆ This story
- Aug 25 – Aug 28 later'Not far enough' - US parents and teens on Meta's new limits for young users12 articles · 5 outlets