Meta set to face another trial over child safety concerns
What's the story
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is set to face another major trial this week. The case has been filed by around 30 US state attorneys general and alleges that the social media giants have caused harm to children. The federal trial will begin with jury selection at a federal court in Oakland near San Francisco on Wednesday.
Allegations
States accuse Meta of intentionally designing addictive platforms
The attorneys general of California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey have accused Meta of intentionally designing Instagram and Facebook to be addictive for children.
They are seeking a range of restrictions on how these platforms operate for minors.
The states are also demanding up to $1.4 trillion in penalties, almost the entire market cap of Meta, which was over $1.5 trillion on Friday.
Testimony
Zuckerberg to be key witness in case
Meta CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg is likely to be one of the key witnesses in this case.
He had also testified six months ago in another case that was held at a Los Angeles court.
Despite spending more time at his home in Hawaii, Zuckerberg's company headquarters in Menlo Park is just an hour away from the Oakland courthouse.
Internal research
Oakland trial linked to 'Facebook Files' leak
The Oakland trial stems from a standoff that started in late 2021 after former employee Frances Haugen leaked thousands of pages of internal research, dubbed the "Facebook Files."
The documents showed that Meta had internally assessed the potential harm Instagram was doing to some teenage girls, while publicly downplaying its impact.
This led to a joint investigation by dozens of states and ultimately resulted in a complaint filed by around 30 state attorneys general two years later.
Legal battles
Meta has been convicted twice in similar cases
Meta has been convicted twice and ordered to pay nearly $1 billion in damages.
In a landmark trial that ended in March, a Los Angeles jury found both Meta and YouTube responsible for a teenager's social media addiction. The jury awarded the teenager $6 million.
A New Mexico jury had previously ordered Meta to pay $375 million after finding it liable for endangering children by exposing them to predators on its platforms, among other harms.
Company stance
What is Meta's defense?
Responding to the ongoing legal challenges, Meta told AFP that it is "confident in our record of protecting teens online and will continue to defend ourselves against claims that misrepresent the facts."
The company plans to argue that mental health is an industry-wide issue and some states' claims are protected by free speech laws.
The four states in this trial have accused Meta of violating their consumer protection laws as well as COPPA, a federal law protecting children's data.