Judge allows states' Meta addiction lawsuit to proceed toward trial

A federal judge has cleared the way for 29 state attorneys general to put their claims against Meta Platforms before a jury, rejecting the company's bid to dismiss the heart of a lawsuit that accuses it of designing Facebook and Instagram to addict children. US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled that there are genuine factual disputes over whether the platforms are addictive, whether Meta falsely denied designing them that way, and whether the company targeted children. Source: thenextweb

The COPPA finding

The judge went further on one point, granting the states partial summary judgment on their claim under the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. She found that Meta did not meet the law's notice and parental-consent requirements — a finding of liability on a discrete issue that narrows what Meta can argue at trial. Source: cna The company had argued that it marketed to a wider audience and that COPPA did not apply, but the court disagreed. Source: foxbusiness

Key claims and defenses

The states allege that Meta engineered features to maximize young users' time and attention, then hid what it knew about the harms, which include depression, anxiety, and self-harm. Source: thenextweb Meta contests this, pointing to its teen safety tools like Instagram Teen Accounts. However, the judge noted that the states present a reasonable interpretation that Meta's statements were untrue. Source: foxbusiness Meta's spokesperson said, "We strongly disagree with these allegations and are confident the evidence will show our longstanding commitment to supporting young people." Source: foxbusiness

What's next

A trial over the claims of California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey is scheduled to begin on August 18. Source: thenextweb The ruling does not decide the ultimate question of addiction or harm; those issues will be considered by a jury. Source: ground-news