Outside the federal courthouse in Oakland, parents stood clutching pictures of their children as Meta faced a pivotal trial, accused of intentionally getting kids addicted to their social media platforms.
Inside the court, emotions ran high with the commencement of opening statements. A coalition of 29 states, spearheaded by California, has charged Meta with designing Facebook and Instagram to captivate young audiences while obscuring the potential dangers of these platforms.
Amid a sea of worried parents, a large white sign carried the names of nearly 600 children reportedly harmed by social media’s grip, including young Giovanni, aged 11, and Bubba, aged 13, according to a report by the Associated Press.
Among those present was Mary Rodee, whose heart still aches following the tragic suicide of her 15-year-old son, Riley Basford, in 2021—an event connected to a predator exploiting Facebook.
“They label it as spontaneous suicide,” Rodee explained to Reuters. “I see it as a foreseeable consequence of a system that prioritizes corporation security over the well-being of our children.”
The mother of 14-year-old Alexander Neville was also at the courthouse. Her son died from fentanyl after she said he was tricked by a drug dealer on Snapchat.
“We want Meta, in short, to stop hurting our kids, stop knowingly hurting our kids, stop using features that you know create mental health harms to kids,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta told NPR.
Inside the courtroom, California Deputy Attorney General Megan O’Neill told the eight-person jury that Meta’s business model was to “hook the users, hold them for as long as they can, harvest their data, and then hide the truth from the public.”
“It worked especially well for kids,” O’Neill added. “Meta needed kids, and it needed to reassure the people who cared about those kids that the kids are safe.”
Meta pushed back hard, arguing there is no clear evidence that social media use causes poor well-being among adolescents.
Meta attorney Paul Schmidt said there was “no dispute” that some users struggle with social media, but argued the company does not believe its products are dangerous.
“They don’t believe they’re going to do well if people don’t like their service,” Schmidt said.
The case could have massive consequences for Meta, with the company warning that penalties could reach as high as $1.4 trillion if it loses.
The states are also seeking sweeping changes to Facebook and Instagram, including eliminating likes and infinite scrolling, imposing time limits on younger users and enforcing restrictions designed to keep children under 13 off the platforms.
Former Meta safety engineer Arturo Bejar, the states’ first witness, testified that “move fast and break things” was a mantra at the company and that safety was sometimes an afterthought.
“Many products were shipped into the world,” including Reels, “and safety was not a consideration in how it was initially deployed,” Bejar said.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram chief Adam Mosseri are expected to testify during the trial, which is scheduled to last six weeks.