The operators of the largest social media platforms in the world are on trial in Los Angeles starting this week, in a case with major ramifications for the future of Big Tech and social media when it comes to children. At issue is whether these companies knowingly used their platforms to manipulate young people and get them hooked, leading to harm for the individuals and for society as a whole. The plaintiff is a 20-year-old woman who began using social media at age 6 and became addicted to the platforms, so much so that she posted hundreds of videos before she finished elementary school.
“This is not dissimilar from the big tobacco lawsuits we saw decades ago,” says Travis Crabtree, Houston-based internet law attorney. “The companies knew they were pushing a product that is addictive, they were marketing it towards children, they were putting intentional things in there to attract young people…it’s the same.”
The two companies at the center of this trial are Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, and Google, which owns YouTube. TikTok and Snapchat were part of the original lawsuit, but reached settlements before the case went to trial.
The companies have denied the accusations, claiming they have specific safeguards in place to protect minors and allow parents to control their children’s access to the platforms. But these same companies have pushed back against online safety laws in the past. Plaintiffs’ attorneys have also released internal documents showing people inside the companies likening their products to a casino, and referring to their platforms as “like a drug.”
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is expected to be among executives from both companies to testify at the trial. Whether it ends in a judgment or settlement, this legal fight will likely set new rules and parameters for social media moving forward. Crabtree says social media companies simply cannot avoid this issue any longer. “It’s not only this lawsuit, but there are a dozen or more attorneys general doing the same thing–looking for court orders to require them to change their tactics,” he tells KTRH. “So the social media companies should already be making this part of their future plans and forecasting, to say okay, we’re definitely going to have to make some changes.”