Meta Faces Federal Trial Over Child Safety and Privacy Practices

Meta is currently defending itself in a federal civil trial in the US District Court for the Northern District of California. The plaintiffs, consisting of 29 state attorneys general, allege that Meta violated the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) by improperly collecting personal information from children under 13 without parental consent. The lead attorneys general from California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey also claim that Meta made deceptive statements to mislead consumers regarding Facebook and Instagram.

During opening arguments, Megan O’Neill of the California Department of Justice argued that Meta deliberately used specific features to hook children and keep them on its apps. In response, Meta attorney Paul Schmidt highlighted the company's safety features and argued that some teenagers struggle to manage their time. Meta also contends that it is protected from liability by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996. Former employee Arturo Bejar testified that Mark Zuckerberg did not prioritize youth safety and that the company culture prioritized growth over screening for potential harms.

This legal battle follows other recent setbacks for the company. Meta was ordered to pay over 940 million dollars in New Mexico for causing psychological harm to children and was previously found liable by a California jury for harming a young user through app design features. While center left sources describe this as part of a broader global debate over regulating social networks or prohibiting minor access, they also frame the current proceedings as a reckoning for a company with a history of scandals involving data privacy and workplace dysfunction.