The largest social media company in the world is headed to a California courtroom next week.
Meta, the company behind sites like Facebook and Instagram, is accused of bringing psychological harm to children and illegally collecting their data.
Attorneys general say features like endless scrolling and push notifications led to addiction and mental health issues in young people.
State attorneys general from 29 states have sued Meta over allegations of harm to young users, but the California case represents the first of four states levying suits.
Earlier this week, a federal appeals court ruled that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act did not provide legal immunity from the more than 3,000 lawsuits against Meta and fellow social media platforms.
The 1996 law typically shields tech companies from liability for content created by third parties. But in this case, it’s the product design that’s under scrutiny.
It’s the latest in a series of blows for Meta.
Last week, a New Mexico judge ordered the company to pay $567 million over the alleged harm its platforms brought to young users, bringing the total of fines levied against the brand to $942 million.
Part of the New Mexico ruling also requires Meta to address some of the issues on its platforms and provide psychological support to young people.
The judge blasted the tech giant, calling its products “pollution” that led to the “psychological harm and sexual exploitation of children.”
New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez celebrated the ruling. “Now they must pay the price for the choice they made to profits over children’s safety,” he said.
Meta has denied the allegations and plans to appeal, while calling the latest charges unsubstantiated.
The trial is set to begin next Tuesday and is expected to last several weeks.
