A trial has commenced in Nashville, Tennessee, where attorneys for the state have told a jury that social media company Meta, which owns Instagram and Facebook, disregarded its own internal research regarding the impact of its platforms on teenagers. The state alleges Meta sought to maximise profit from young users.
During opening statements in the seven-week trial, lawyers for Tennessee claimed Meta researchers repeatedly flagged compulsive use among teenagers, which they said led to eating disorders, depression, and self-harm. They argued that despite these warnings, Meta did not disable features such as autoplay, notifications, and infinite scroll, which were allegedly designed to keep teens on Instagram longer and increase ad views.
An attorney for Meta countered that the company has been transparent about the risks teenagers face on Instagram and the amount of dangerous content it identifies. Meta's lawyer stated the company works diligently to find and resolve problems, and has developed tools to help limit problematic use.
The lawsuit in Tennessee, filed by Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti's office, seeks financial penalties and a court order for Instagram to modify aspects of the platform deemed harmful to teens' mental health. If the jury finds Meta liable, the trial will proceed to a second phase to determine damages.
This trial follows a loss for Meta in New Mexico in March, where a jury found the company liable for harming children and ordered it to pay $375m in civil penalties. Thousands of other lawsuits have also been filed against Meta and other social media companies by families, school districts, and state attorneys general.