Agadir – Meta Platforms is facing a coalition of US state attorneys general in a California federal court in one of the largest legal efforts to hold social media companies accountable for their impact on children and teenagers.
The seven-week trial in Oakland will examine allegations that Meta designed Facebook and Instagram to keep young users engaged and misled consumers about the safety of its platforms.
The case, brought by Colorado, Kentucky, California, and New Jersey, will also address claims from 29 states that Meta illegally collected and used children’s personal data in violation of federal law.
Jury selection is scheduled to begin Wednesday, while opening statements are expected on August 18. Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram head Adam Mosseri are expected to testify.
The case could have significant financial and operational consequences for Meta. The company has said that potential damages could reach up to $1.4 trillion (MAD 13 trillion).
The states are also asking the court to impose measures that would require Meta to introduce age restrictions, eliminate infinite scrolling, and make other changes to how its platforms operate.
A Meta spokesperson said the company strongly disagreed with the allegations and expected evidence presented at trial to demonstrate its efforts to support young users.
“We’ve listened to parents, worked with experts and law enforcement, and conducted in-depth research to understand the issues that matter most,” the spokesperson said.
Growing scrutiny over social media and children
The lawsuit, filed in 2023, followed a multistate investigation into Facebook and Instagram’s effects on young users. The investigation gained momentum after former Meta employee Frances Haugen testified before the US Senate in 2021, alleging that the company knew its products could harm young people and had information that could help make them safer.
The legal battle comes amid growing international scrutiny of the effects of social media on children and adolescents.
A review published in the National Library of Medicine found that social media use among adolescents has become widespread, with 93%-97% of teenagers aged 13 to 17 using at least one social media platform.
It also noted that adolescent girls aged 16 to 24 spend more than three hours a day on social media on average, compared with about two and a half hours for boys in the same age group.
The review said platforms use features including notifications, frequent updates, and endless scrolling feeds that can distract users and encourage prolonged engagement. It also examined how machine-learning algorithms personalize content based on users’ behavior and interests, potentially increasing engagement.
According to the paper, adolescents may be particularly vulnerable because their brains are undergoing significant behavioral and developmental changes and show heightened sensitivity to rewards.
The review linked problematic social media use to changes involving brain systems associated with reward processing, attention, decision-making and emotional regulation. It said the prefrontal cortex, basal ganglia, amygdala and anterior cingulate cortex play important roles in functions that can be affected by problematic internet and social media use.
The researchers also cautioned that there is no universally accepted definition of “social media addiction” and that the condition is not currently listed as a standard diagnosis in either the DSM-5 or ICD-11, except for internet gaming disorder as a distinct recognized condition.
Algorithms and privacy concerns
Beyond potential addiction, the review raised concerns about how platforms collect and use personal information.
It said social media companies can collect details including browsing history, location and purchasing habits to deliver targeted advertising and personalize content. The paper argued that teenagers may not fully understand how their data are collected or used, raising concerns about privacy and informed consent.
The researchers also argued that platforms should prioritize users’ well-being over maximizing engagement and profits, recommending tools that allow users to limit screen time, control the content they see and better understand how their data are used.
These concerns closely intersect with the allegations facing Meta in California, where the state is seeking not only financial penalties but also changes to the design and operation of Facebook and Instagram.
