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Menlo Park-based social media giant Meta Inc. is fighting in federal court to prove it doesn’t harm young people’s mental health, collect their data in violation of federal law, and that its executives haven’t made misleading statements about prioritizing profits over health.
Opening arguments were presented Tuesday, Aug. 18, in an Oakland federal courtroom in a civil lawsuit brought by California and dozens of states accusing Meta of creating addictive products that harm young users’ mental health.
The civil complaint filed in federal court in 2023 by more than two dozen attorneys general alleges violations of consumer protection laws, making false and misleading statements, and violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, known as COPPA, by collecting data on users under the age of 13.
It was a strategy California Deputy Attorney General Megan O’Neill — who presented the opening arguments for the plaintiffs — defined as “hook, hold, harvest, hide,” as she accused the company of actively seeking younger users and locking in vulnerable users with manipulative features that target children who the company’s own policies state aren’t allowed to use Meta’s social media apps, Facebook and Instagram.
Meta’s attorney Paul Schmidt told jurors that the states would not be able to prove any of their claims, including allegations that the company was knowingly collecting data on users under the age of 13.
The plaintiffs contend that there is a mountain of evidence, including internal studies and communications, public statements, and results showing the harm the company’s products have had on young people’s mental health, body image, and wellbeing.
Central to their case is the allegation that Meta continued offering tools like filters, endless scrolls, and alerts to maximize time spent on the apps by young users.
“Meta said it prioritized safety over profits, but when it came time to make a decision, time and again, those profits won,” O’Neill told the jury.
The plaintiffs’ first witness, former Meta employee and consultant Arturo Bejar, said he tried to raise concerns about the discrepancy between internal and publicly reported numbers about how many users were experiencing harm on the platforms.
His testimony was set to continue Wednesday at the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Oakland. The trial is expected to run through September.
This story was written by Thomas Hughes for Bay City News.
