Meta faces a potentially transformative jury trial starting Tuesday, stemming from a 2023 lawsuit by 30 US states alleging numerous violations of federal and state child privacy laws. The states are seeking over $1 trillion from Meta and demanding significant changes to Instagram and Facebook, including the removal of "like" counts and infinite scroll.
If Meta loses this case, it could fundamentally alter the user experience on its platforms, particularly for young people. The states are requesting:
- Parental verification for teenage users.
- Changes to "dopamine-manipulating recommendation algorithms."
- Removal of many appearance-altering image filters.
- An end to autoplay video content.
- A prohibition on multiple account creation.
- An end to ephemeral posts, such as Instagram Stories.
These features are central to the current user experience and are designed to maximize user engagement. The states argue that Meta has exploited child users to grow its business, which is currently valued at approximately $1.5 trillion.
Meta denies these allegations, stating, "We strongly disagree with these allegations and are confident the evidence will show our longstanding commitment to supporting young people." The case is being heard by US federal judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers.
This lawsuit follows a recent ruling in New Mexico where Meta was fined $942 million and ordered to implement similar changes, including eliminating like counts for users under 18, banning the transmission of nudity, and limiting push notifications. The judge in that case declared Meta a "public nuisance." While that order applies only to New Mexico, a victory for the 30 states in their separate lawsuit would likely necessitate platform-wide changes across the US, impacting nearly two-thirds of the country's population.
Features like "like" counts, which have been part of Meta since its early days, are now viewed as potentially harmful, especially for young people. Internal Meta research, cited in the states' lawsuit, indicated that like counts drove "social comparison," linked to "increased loneliness, worse body image, and negative mood or affect." The lawsuit argues that Meta's platform operations have contributed to a growing "youth mental health crisis."
