A court case against Meta has begun in the US, which could affect the operation of Instagram and Facebook across the country. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Reuters.
The essence of the case
The lawsuit was filed by 29 states, accusing the company of creating features that could negatively impact the mental health of children and teenagers. Eight jurors in the federal district court of California will participate as an advisory jury. The final decision will be made by Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers.
At the center of the case are accusations from four states: Colorado, California, New Jersey, and Kentucky. They claim that Meta deliberately designed Facebook and Instagram to keep underage users on the platforms and misled consumers about their safety.
The remaining states accuse the company of improperly collecting and using children's personal data in violation of federal law.
States' demands
The states demand that Meta be required to change the operation of the platforms nationwide. Specifically, this includes introducing age restrictions, abandoning infinite scroll, and other measures to protect minors.
The company states that it takes serious measures for the safety of teenagers and sees no evidence that residents of the states were misled or suffered damage.
"The states, instead of facts and law, decided to seek an incredibly large payout," Meta said.
Testimonies and evidence
During the multi-week process, Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram head Adam Mosseri are expected to testify.
The lawsuit was filed in 2023 after a large-scale investigation into the impact of social networks on young users. It began after statements by former Meta employee Frances Haugen, who in 2021 told US lawmakers that the company knew about the potential harm of its products to children and teenagers.
The states intend to present Meta's internal documents and research, as well as testimonies from former company employees and experts.
Significance of the case
The case is considered one of the most serious challenges for Meta amid thousands of lawsuits against social networks related to their impact on minors. According to Meta's estimates, potential fines in the case could reach $1.4 trillion — almost the size of the company's entire market capitalization, estimated at about $1.5 trillion.
If the court satisfies the states' demands, the decision could lead to large-scale changes in the operation of Instagram and Facebook for users across the United States.
Earlier, Kursiv reported that Instagram updated its logo for the first time in ten years.