Meta faces its big tobacco moment in social media addiction lawsuit

Meta is defending itself in a landmark multi-billion-dollar lawsuit in the US against accusations that it intentionally designed Instagram and Facebook to be addictive to children. Originally filed in 2023 by 29 US states, including California and New York, the trial alleges widespread violations of federal and state child privacy laws.

The case relies on the 2021 Facebook Files leaked by whistleblower Frances Haugen, which revealed that the company knew its platforms had negative mental health impacts. The attorneys general (AGs) for the 29 states argue that Meta concealed these harms for profit, drawing comparisons to historic legal actions against tobacco and opioid manufacturers as evidence that they can hold Meta to account.

Beyond seeking billions of dollars in damages, the coalition of states demands structural changes to core platform mechanisms. These changes include disabling infinite scroll, like counts, and video autoplay, as well as modifying dopamine-manipulating algorithms, removing appearance-altering filters, ending disappearing posts, prohibiting multiple accounts, and implementing a parental verification process for teenage users.

Meta strongly denies the claims, maintaining that the evidence will prove its commitment to supporting young people.

In his testimony, former Meta safety engineer and whistleblower Arturo Béjar told the court that the company adopted a "don't ask, don't tell" approach to child safety on its platforms. Béjar stated that Meta was aware its recommendation algorithms pushed graphic violence and content from sexual predators to minors, but executives took minimal action despite repeated internal warnings.

Having briefed Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg at least 100 times, Béjar detailed a 2021 email in which he warned the executive of persistent harms to teenage wellbeing. He sent the warning after Zuckerberg publicly claimed the firm does not prioritise profit over safety, an assertion Béjar told the jury was false and misleading. Zuckerberg never responded to the email.

Béjar further testified that features like infinite scroll were designed to maximise user engagement and advertising revenue, keeping young users on the platforms to generate higher profits.

Meanwhile, in France, a court has overturned a national social media ban for under-15s. The Constitutional Council said that the law would "disproportionately infringe on minors’ right to freedom of expression and communication."

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