United States: Meta is facing a major legal battle in the United States that could fundamentally change how young people use Instagram and Facebook if the company loses a trial brought by 30 US states over alleged violations of child privacy laws.
The jury trial is set to begin August 18 and stems from a lawsuit filed in 2023 by states including California and New York. The states accuse Meta of violating federal and state privacy laws and argue that the company’s platforms have been designed in ways that can harm children and teenagers.
The states are seeking potentially more than $1 trillion from Meta, while also demanding significant changes to Instagram and Facebook. Proposed measures include ending like counts and infinite scrolling, introducing parental verification for teenage users and changing recommendation systems that the states describe as designed to keep young users engaged.
The states are also seeking restrictions on several features, including autoplay videos, image filters that alter users’ appearances, multiple account creation and disappearing content such as Instagram Stories. They argue that these features encourage young people to spend more time on the platforms and make it difficult for them to reduce their use.
Prosecutors claim Meta deliberately targeted young users to increase engagement and expand its user base. They argue that features such as frequent notifications and personalised recommendations can encourage children and teenagers to return to the platforms repeatedly.
Meta has strongly rejected the allegations. The company said it disagrees with the claims and is confident that evidence presented during the trial will demonstrate its longstanding efforts to support young users.
The case comes after a separate ruling in New Mexico that could add pressure on Meta. A judge there fined the company $942 million and ordered changes to Instagram and Facebook, including removing like counts for users under 18, restricting the exchange of nude images involving teenagers and limiting push notifications to certain hours.
The New Mexico judge also described Meta as a ‘public nuisance’, comparing the company’s alleged impact on young people to the harmful effects of industrial pollution. Meta has said it will appeal that ruling.
While the New Mexico order applies only within that state, a victory for the 30 states in the latest case could lead to much broader changes across the United States. The states involved represent nearly two-thirds of the country’s population, meaning a nationwide platform overhaul could have a major impact on how millions of young people use social media.
Some of the proposed changes would affect features that have become central to social media. Like counts, for example, have been a core part of Facebook and Instagram for years and remain one of the main ways users interact with posts, photos and videos.
The trial is being heard by Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, a senior federal judge in California. Rogers has presided over several high-profile technology cases and previously handled litigation involving Elon Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
The outcome could determine whether Meta must make sweeping changes to some of its most widely used products and could influence how social media companies approach child safety and privacy across the United States.
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