Meta, Snap face another trial over youth safety
What's the story
Meta and Snap are set to go on trial in Los Angeles over the alleged harms of social media on young users. The case marks the first time Snap has been named as a defendant. The trial is part of a larger trend, with thousands of lawsuits filed against social media companies over claims of harm caused to children and teenagers.
Case outcome
Meta and YouTube lost first bellwether case
Earlier this year, Meta and YouTube lost the first bellwether case when a jury found them liable for harming a young user identified as KGM.
The tech companies were ordered to pay a combined penalty of $6 million.
Despite the verdict, Meta had said they "respectfully disagree" with it.
Pre-trial settlements
Snap and TikTok settled with KGM before the trial
Before the trial, Snap and TikTok had settled with KGM. Later, they, along with YouTube, settled another case that was supposed to go to trial in August.
The plaintiff in this case, identified as RKC, withdrew their remaining claims against Meta months later, allowing the Instagram and Facebook maker to avoid a trial without a settlement.
Settlement agreements
TikTok and YouTube reached settlement agreements in the new case
TikTok and YouTube were also named as defendants in the new case but reached settlement agreements with the plaintiffs, SJ and KDB, before the trial began.
Meta settled with one of the plaintiffs, SJ, but not KDB.
A California state judge has combined both cases into a single trial. If no further settlements are made before opening statements start on November 4, this new trial will proceed with both Meta and Snap as defendants.
Witness testimonies
Mark Zuckerberg, Adam Mosseri, and Evan Spiegel to testify
Star witnesses including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Instagram chief Adam Mosseri, and Snap CEO Evan Spiegel are expected to testify starting mid-November.
Earlier this month, a New Mexico judge ordered Meta to pay $25 billion for deceiving users about how their data was used in a case related to the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
A New Mexico jury had previously found the social media giant liable for harms to children with a combined penalty of $942 million.
Settlement details
Meta settled with 52 attorneys general for over $18 billion
In August, Meta had settled with 52 attorneys general for over $18 billion in penalties and changes to Instagram and Facebook for teens.
The settlement also required YouTube and TikTok to make similar changes such as limiting daily screentime.
Despite these cases, Meta has denied claims of harm caused by its platforms.
"We will not back away from defending ourselves against baseless lawsuits," the company told AFP in July.