Meta loses bid to dismiss claims it aims to addict kids
A federal judge dismissed Meta Platforms’ lawsuit filed by 29 U.S. state attorneys general, accusing Facebook and Instagram of designing children to become addicted and knowingly hiding the harm from the public.
In a decision late Monday, U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland, California, denied Meta’s motion to dismiss the claims based on deception, unfair practices and violations of the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.
The judge also said Meta failed to comply with that act’s notice and parental consent requirements and granted summary judgment to the states on the issue.
“We strongly disagree with these allegations and are confident that the evidence will demonstrate our long-standing commitment to supporting young people,” Meta said in a statement.
In a separate statement, California Attorney General Rob Bonta called the ruling a “critical win” in holding Meta accountable for fueling a mental health crisis among American children.
Gonzalez Rogers also is overseeing related multidistrict litigation involving more than 2,600 individuals, school districts, and local governments over whether children are addicted to Facebook, Instagram, Google, and social media platforms such as YouTube, Snapchat, and TikTok.
The states said research shows children’s use of Facebook and Instagram can lead to depression, anxiety, insomnia, interference with education and daily life, and self-harm, including suicide.
Meta said the attorney general found no evidence, including from CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s congressional testimony, that its platforms misled consumers about addiction claims.
The Menlo Park, California-based company said that’s because “social media addiction” is not an established psychiatric condition, so statements that its platforms are not addictive cannot be false.
Meta also said it did not violate children’s online privacy law because it directed Facebook and Instagram to a general audience, not just children under 13.
In a 38-page decision, Gonzalez Rogers found material factual disputes over whether Meta’s social media platforms were addictive, whether Meta falsely denied that it designed them that way, and whether it “partially” directed the platforms to children.
“AGs offer a reasonable interpretation [Meta’s] “The statements are that Facebook and Instagram are not designed to cause young people to compulsively use these platforms to their own detriment,” the judge wrote.
“To the extent that plaintiffs’ evidence demonstrates that the platforms were in fact designed to do just that, a jury could reasonably find that the statements were untrue to a reasonable person,” he added.
The Australian Associated Press is the beating heart of Australian news. AAP is Australia’s only independent national news channel and has been providing accurate, reliable and fast-paced news content to the media industry, government and corporate sector for 85 years. We inform Australia.
