The New Mexico lawsuit, filed by the state in 2023, alleged that Meta violated consumer protection laws and misled residents about the safety of its apps. According to the jury, the company withheld what it knew about the dangers of child sexual exploitation on its platforms. New Mexico's investigation found Meta platforms are 'prime locations for predators to trade child pornography and solicit minors for sex'. Prosecutors presented evidence of delays and deficiencies in Meta's ability to detect and report harms to children, including child sexual abuse material and trafficking. Internal Meta documents obtained by the attorney general's office include emails flagging urgent issues of exploitation on Facebook and Instagram.
In the Los Angeles trial, a 20-year-old woman named Kaley testified that she became addicted to social media as a child, starting with YouTube at age 6 and Instagram at age 9. According to The Independent, Kaley described social media notifications giving her a 'rush' and that she would check them during school. Kaley's attorneys argued she was preyed upon as a vulnerable user, while Meta and YouTube's attorneys argued she used platforms as a coping mechanism. The jury awarded $6 million in damages, with Meta to pay 70% and YouTube the remainder.
We do our best to keep Facebook safe, but we cannot guarantee it.
Meta's defense in New Mexico rejected the allegations as sensationalist and irrelevant, arguing it makes great efforts to keep platforms safe. Meta executives, including Adam Mosseri and Mark Zuckerberg, testified in defense of the company's safety track record. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified in the Los Angeles trial about past congressional testimony and Instagram's beauty filters. The company has not agreed that social media addiction exists, but executives acknowledge 'problematic use'.
Meta disagrees with the New Mexico verdict and will appeal, stating it works hard to keep people safe. Regarding the Los Angeles verdict, Meta said it respectfully disagrees and is evaluating legal options. Google disagrees with the Los Angeles verdict and plans to appeal, stating YouTube is a responsibly built streaming platform, not a social media site.
Social media notifications gave her a 'rush' and she would check them during school, and she believes she was previously addicted to YouTube.
These cases are part of a broader legal landscape where Meta, YouTube, Snapchat, and TikTok face thousands of similar lawsuits in U.S. courts over addictive design. TikTok and Snapchat settled before the Los Angeles trial, leaving Meta and YouTube as defendants. Snapchat's parent company settled for an undisclosed sum before the Los Angeles trial. Hundreds of American families and school districts are involved in lawsuits against tech companies, compared to the tobacco industry's 'big tobacco' moment. Over 1,600 other plaintiffs across the U.S. await the outcomes of these trials.
Specific harms detailed in the lawsuits include child trafficking investigations and fatal incidents linked to social media. A 2023 Guardian investigation revealed Meta had difficulty stopping people from using its platforms to traffic children, and is referenced in the New Mexico lawsuit. A Guardian investigation in 2021 found child sexual abuse trafficking surging in the U.S., with predators using Facebook and Instagram to buy and sell children. Trafficking on Meta platforms often occurred in non-public areas like Facebook Messenger and private Instagram accounts. Former Meta contract workers reported that efforts to flag child trafficking often went nowhere, with harmful content rarely taken down. A 12-year-old boy, Matthew, died in Maryland in March 2019 from a 'choke challenge' he found on social media. Kimberly Osterman's son Max died in 2021 from a fentanyl-laced pill he bought through social media, and she is pursuing a wrongful death lawsuit.
I stopped engaging with my family because I was spending all my time on social media.
The trial status and procedural details show ongoing legal battles. Meta is facing a trial in New Mexico over child safety practices, with allegations it prioritized profit and engagement over protecting children. The New Mexico trial completed its fifth week on 5 March, with the state attorney general resting the case. Juries in California and New Mexico are deliberating, with the California jury possibly deadlocked on one defendant.
Internationally, governments are curbing big tech's grip on children, with Indonesia mandating deactivation of high-risk accounts for under-16s, Brazil enacting an online safety law, and the UK considering a ban for under-16s. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the UK needs to do more to protect children, including potentially banning social media for under-16s and tackling addictive features.
The legal implications and potential precedent of these cases are significant. Kaley's case is a test case for over 2,000 similar lawsuits alleging social media harms young users' mental health. Central questions in the case are whether Kaley had a social media addiction and whether companies designed platforms to be addictive. If the jury sides with Kaley, it could upset legal precedent and lead to historic settlements from companies like Meta.
Several unknowns remain regarding these cases. The specific evidence or internal documents that led the New Mexico jury to find Meta liable for $375 million have not been fully disclosed publicly. It is unclear how many of the over 2,000 similar lawsuits will proceed to trial, and what the potential total damages might be. The exact terms of the settlements reached by TikTok and Snapchat before the Los Angeles trial have not been revealed.
Additional uncertainties surround which specific platform features or algorithms are being scrutinized as intentionally addictive in the lawsuits. The impact of Meta's planned appeals on the enforcement of the $375 million New Mexico verdict and the $6 million Los Angeles verdict remains to be seen.