Meta Accused in Court of Addicting Children to Facebook and Instagram
Meta is facing allegations in a California court that it knowingly addicted an entire generation of children to Facebook and Instagram. The lawsuit, filed on Tuesday in Oakland, California, represents one of the biggest legal challenges faced by the social media giants and will be heard before a jury. Prosecutors from various U.S. states and lawyers representing the social media company will present their arguments over the next six weeks.
Lawyers from California claim that Meta was aware that tens of millions of children as young as 11 and 12 years old were using Instagram but made little effort to keep them off the platform. Meta representatives have argued that there are only about 100,000 such underage users and have questioned the existence of social media addiction. However, the lawyers contend that, while Meta knew about the negative impacts on teenagers’ mental health, it failed to take necessary actions, despite Meta’s claims that many teens have positive experiences.
The lawsuit was filed in 2023 by 29 states, including New York and California. They accuse Meta of violating federal and state laws on children’s privacy. The complaint demands Meta disable ‘like’ counts and infinite scrolling features, and seek billions of dollars in damages. At Tuesday’s hearing, debates focused on terminology and statistics. Meta’s attorney, Paul Schmidt, commented on an internal investigation report presented by California’s Attorney General Megan O’Neill.
The report by O’Neill stated, “One in five teenagers said Instagram makes them feel worse.” Schmidt responded, “That’s a very negative soundbite.” He questioned, “What does that document actually say?” further noting, “41% of teens said it gave them a positive experience, and another 41% reported no impact.” Schmidt attempted to undermine state arguments. The states assert that Meta not only failed to keep under-13 users off its platforms but deliberately designed features to attract teenagers and foster addiction.
Regarding age verification capabilities, Schmidt argued that privacy laws restrict collecting and using personal data related to the identification of minors. Meta also faces another legal challenge concerning social media addiction and maintains that the concept of social media addiction itself does not exist. While recognizing users’ challenges, Meta claims it has introduced various tools to help manage usage.
Citing prior statements from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram head Adam Mosseri, Meta contends that Facebook and Instagram were not designed to be addictive. Schmidt added that recent scientific research does not confirm social media addiction. However, Megan O’Neill challenged Schmidt’s claims during initial arguments, presenting evidence based on Meta’s internal investigations, employee emails, and chat records involving Zuckerberg.
An internal investigation revealed that “teenagers felt as though they were addicted to Instagram use.” O’Neill also submitted a document stating that Meta designs its platform to include features that cause psychological harm, encouraging users to spend more time on the platform instead of engaging in activities that improve their quality of life. The state alleges that Meta presented its platform as safe despite knowing about potential negative effects on teenagers.
O’Neill criticized Meta’s business model as well, stating, “It operates to addict users, keep them on the platform as long as possible, collect their data, and control public expression.” She highlighted discrepancies between Meta’s public statements and its internal research. “Meta claims protection but repeatedly hides the reality. Profit has been the priority in decisions made.”