Meta hooked children on Facebook and Instagram, court hears
Summary
A court in Oakland, California, heard claims that Meta deliberately made Facebook and Instagram addictive for children and teenagers. The trial involves 29 US states accusing Meta of violating privacy laws and harming young users’ mental health.Key Facts
- The trial started with a jury in Oakland reviewing claims against Meta, involving 29 US states.
- California’s lawyer said millions of 11- and 12-year-olds used Instagram, and Meta did little to keep them off.
- Meta’s lawyer said only about 100,000 users under 13 were found and argued social media addiction is not real.
- Internal Meta documents showed one in five teens felt worse after using Instagram, but others said it helped or had no effect.
- The states want Meta to make changes like removing “like” counts and ending infinite scroll on its platforms.
- Meta said laws prevent it from fully verifying users’ ages to stop underage activity.
- Meta admits some users struggle with social media use and has created tools to help.
- Internal research revealed that some Meta features increase time spent online and may harm users’ well-being.
Read the Full Article
This is a fact-based summary from The Actual News. Click below to read the complete story directly from the original source.
