Jury selection has begun in Meta’s federal trial in California over claims its platforms have harmed youth mental health and track children in violation of federal law.
Background of the Case
The trial, scheduled to begin next week, is expected to last six to eight weeks. Meta faces 29 states in the federal multidistrict lawsuit filed in 2023, but the Oakland trial will only include the first four — California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey.
The 2023 lawsuit claims that Meta routinely collects data on children under 13 without their parents’ consent, in violation of federal law. The complaint alleges that Meta has harnessed powerful technologies to entice, engage, and ultimately ensnare youth and teens, with the motive of profit, and has misled the public about the dangers of its social media platforms.
This trial is the latest in a series of lawsuits against Meta Platforms and other social media companies, including Google’s YouTube, TikTok, and Snap, over claims their platforms harm young people, illegally collect their data, and are deliberately designed to addict them.
Recent Rulings and Penalties
Last week, a New Mexico court ordered Meta to pay $567 million to address harms to young people from its platforms in the second phase of a landmark trial. This penalty is in addition to the $375 million in civil penalties that jurors ordered against Meta in March after determining the company knowingly harmed children’s mental health and concealed what it knew about child sexual exploitation on its platforms.
Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.
