Walser Wealth Administration President Rebecca Walser reacts to greater than three dozen states suing Meta alleging that Fb and Instagram options are dangerous to kids on ‘Making Cash.’
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg will testify Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court docket in a landmark trial over claims that social media platforms hurt kids — his first time answering youth security allegations earlier than a jury.
The bellwether lawsuit, Ok.G.M. v. Meta Platforms, Inc., et al., was filed by a 20-year-old California girl recognized by her initials. She alleges that Meta and different social media corporations engineered their platforms to hook younger customers, fueling her despair and suicidal ideas, and is in search of to carry the businesses accountable.
Meta’s Instagram and Google’s YouTube deny the allegations, citing years of expanded security options and parental controls as a part of their protection. The tech titans are anticipated to level to different components in Ok.G.M.’s life, spotlight their investments in youth security and argue they shouldn’t be held liable for dangerous content material uploaded by customers.
Mark Zuckerberg throughout a dinner with tech leaders within the State Eating Room of the White Home on Sept. 4, 2025. (Will Oliver/EPA/Bloomberg/Getty Pictures)
A verdict for the plaintiff, Ok.G.M., might set a precedent for holding tech corporations liable for dangerous design selections, regardless of years of efficiently invoking Part 230’s content material legal responsibility defend. Part 230 is a federal legislation that largely shields on-line platforms from lawsuits associated to user-posted content material.
A rejection of that protection might pave the way in which for comparable lawsuits throughout the nation, exposing Meta and different tech corporations to billions in damages and pressuring them to revamp their platforms.
BIG TECH’S TOBACCO MOMENT IS HERE — AND THE TRUTH ABOUT HARMING KIDS IS OUT
On this picture illustration, the TikTok app is seen on a telephone on March 13, 2024, in New York Metropolis. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Pictures)
Past this case, Meta and Google face greater than 2,300 associated lawsuits filed by mother and father, college districts and state attorneys normal in federal court docket.
The wave of lawsuits displays a rising backlash in opposition to social media corporations over considerations about their influence on kids’s psychological well being and security. Lawmakers, mother and father and regulators have more and more accused platforms of prioritizing development and engagement over defending younger customers.
In New Mexico, opening statements started Monday in a separate case introduced by the state’s lawyer normal accusing Meta of exposing minors to sexual exploitation and taking advantage of it — allegations the corporate denies.
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Meta and Google face greater than 2,300 associated lawsuits filed by mother and father, college districts and state attorneys normal in federal court docket. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg through Getty Pictures)
The scrutiny isn’t restricted to the USA.
Nations corresponding to Australia and Spain have moved to limit social media entry for customers below 16, citing considerations about habit, on-line harms and psychological well being. Different governments are weighing comparable age-based limits as stress mounts worldwide.
