Facebook, Instagram could change forever amid alleged harm to children trial

Meta is facing a major child safety and privacy trial in California that could lead to significant changes to Facebook and Instagram if the company loses the case.

Opening statements began on August 18 in federal court in Oakland, where attorneys general from California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey are seeking financial damages as well as operational changes to Meta’s platforms, The Independent writes. 

The case stems from a broader legal campaign launched by 29 US states in 2023 over allegations that Meta deliberately designed Facebook and Instagram features to make children dependent on its platforms and contributed to a youth mental health crisis. Twenty-five states are expected to proceed to trial later, while Meta also faces separate claims in state courts.

The lawsuit also alleges that Meta routinely collected personal information from children under 13 without parental consent, in violation of federal privacy law.

“This week, we’re in court with the largest consumer protection lawsuit in American history. We’ll show a jury that Meta concealed what it knew about the harm its products cause young people because looking away was more profitable,” Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman said.

Meta has rejected the allegations and said it is confident in its case.

“We are proud of our record in protecting teens on our platforms and the amount of effort that we’ve put into developing protections over the years, even before these cases were ever filed, and continuing to the present day. We look forward to showing the judge and the jury those facts in court,” the company said.

US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who is overseeing the proceedings, is expected to preside over a trial lasting six to eight weeks. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, along with other current and former executives and employees, is expected to testify.

The case is part of a growing international debate over how social media platforms affect children and whether governments should impose stricter age limits.

Australia became the first country to ban social media access for children under 16, while countries including Denmark, Malaysia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates have introduced or approved similar restrictions. Other countries, including Britain, Spain, Poland, Slovenia and Sweden, are considering measures to limit access for younger users.

In the European Union, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has called for stronger safeguards against “addictive and harmful design practices”. The European Parliament has also backed proposals for tighter age restrictions on online platforms.

The US has separately been considering the Kids Online Safety Act, which would require social media companies to take greater care in designing features that could harm minors. The legislation would operate alongside the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, which restricts companies from collecting personal data from children under 13 without parental consent.

By Sabina Mammadli