Meta lost its case in an attempt to have the court dismiss a lawsuit filed by attorneys general from 29 U.S. states accusing the company of deliberately designing platforms that cause addiction among children.
A U.S. federal judge rejected Meta Platforms' motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by attorneys general from 29 states. The suit alleges the company deliberately designed Facebook and Instagram to addict children and intentionally concealed these harmful effects from the public.
The decision came on the evening of Monday, 29 June local U.S. time, when U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland, California, denied Meta's motion to dismiss charges related to deception, unfair business practices, and violations of the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).
The judge also stated that Meta failed to meet the law's requirements for notifying and obtaining parental consent, issuing a summary judgment in favor of the group of states on this matter immediately.
Meta issued a statement responding, saying, “We strongly disagree with these allegations and are confident that the evidence will demonstrate our longstanding commitment to supporting and protecting youth.”
The group of states cited research showing that children’s use of Facebook and Instagram can lead to depression, anxiety, insomnia, disruptions to education and daily life, as well as self-harm, including suicide.
Conversely, Meta argued that the attorneys general have no evidence proving the company misled consumers regarding accusations of addictive platform behavior, including statements made by CEO Mark Zuckerberg during congressional testimony.
Meta stated the reason is that “social media addiction” is not officially classified as a psychiatric disorder, so the company’s statements that the platforms are not addictive cannot be considered false.
Additionally, Meta said it did not violate children’s online privacy laws because it targeted Facebook and Instagram at a general audience, not specifically at children under 13 years old.
However, the judge found factual disputes regarding the alleged addictive design behavior.
In a 38-page ruling, Judge Gonzalez Rogers stated that evidence presented by the plaintiffs shows that Meta’s platforms were indeed designed to be addictive, and a jury could reasonably conclude that Meta’s statements were false from the perspective of a reasonable person.
Judge Gonzalez Rogers also oversees a similar case consolidated from over 2,600 individual plaintiffs, school districts, and local governments alleging that social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Google, YouTube, Snapchat, and TikTok foster addictive behavior in children.
The trial for claims from California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey against Meta is scheduled to begin on 18 August.
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Source:cna