Meta to Face Jury Trial in Child Social Media Addiction Case

A US federal judge has rejected Meta's motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by 29 state attorneys general.

The states accuse the company of deliberately designing Facebook and Instagram to be addictive for children while misleading the public about the platforms' potential harms.

US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers also found that the plaintiffs had sufficiently alleged violations of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), including claims that Meta failed to provide required notices to parents and obtain verifiable parental consent where applicable.

Meta argues there is no evidence that it misled users and maintains that “social media addiction” is not a recognised psychiatric diagnosis.

Judge Gonzalez Rogers ruled that the case involves disputed factual issues that must be decided by a jury. The trial is scheduled to begin on 18 August and is part of a broader wave of litigation against major

(Reuters, mja)