Meta Faces Two State Court Decisions Amid Federal Lawsuit Over Social Media Liability
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But Meta has already lost two cases in state courts this year over claims similar to those made in the federal suit. In March, a Los Angeles jury found that Meta and Google were to blame for the depression and anxiety of a young woman who compulsively used social media as a small child and awarded her $6 million in damages. Separately, a New Mexico judge ordered Meta to pay $567 million and implement new safety measures after a jury found that the company failed to protect young users from child sexual exploitation on its platforms.
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The Guardian USGood morning. More than half of the states in the US have joined together in an unprecedented lawsuit against Meta that goes to trial on Tuesday, accusing the parent company of Instagram and Facebook of deliberately designing addictive products that lured in young people and caused them harm.
Breitbart“Meta designed a dangerous product for young users, knew it to be dangerous, and then lied to children, families and the community about how dangerous it was,” said California Attorney General Rob Bonta. Attorneys representing California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey are leading the trial proceedings, though the lawsuit was filed by 29 states involved as part of a multidistrict litigation.
PBS NewsHourWATCH: Advocates for greater social media protections for kids speak outside Meta trial Opening statements are set to kick off Tuesday in a pivotal trial for Meta Platforms in a California federal court, where states are seeking billions of dollars in damages for social media harms to children.
New York TimesStates Seek $200 Billion From Meta Over Child Social Media Addiction Claims California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey are taking the social media giant to trial in the first bellwether federal case over child harm.
ReutersMeta faces 29-state trial that could reshape Instagram and Facebook - Reuters Meta faces 29-state trial that could reshape Instagram and Facebook Reuters
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Social media companies have enjoyed some immunity from lawsuits brought against them because they are protected by the First Amendment and Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which largely shields platforms from prosecution based on content posted by users.
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This trial is being presided over by Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who also presided this spring over the high-profile lawsuit that Tesla CEO Elon Musk brought against OpenAI. It is expected to last about six weeks, and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is expected to testify.
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BreitbartThe Guardian reports that the jury trial is opening today in federal court in Oakland, California, and is expected to run for six to eight weeks. Jurors are expected to hear testimony from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri, and Arturo Béjar, a former Meta employee who became a whistleblower.
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Independent claims that didn't surface elsewhere in our corpus. Treat as supplementary — not corroborated across outlets.
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01 NPR News O'Neill previewed the states' arguments, which rely heavily on internal Meta communications and studies that the states say contradicted many of the company's public statements.
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02 The Guardian US At the White House the president berated CNN reporter Kristen Holmes insisting that she “be quiet” and describing the reporting as fake news. The White House also attacked Holmes in social media posts, calling her “callous and vindictive”.
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03 NBC News Now Playing States take on Meta in court over child addiction claims 01:54 UP NEXT Thousands of Americans roll the dice on travel with viral 'Mystery Vacation' trend 04:05 ‘Hot Divorcée Summer’ trend takes off as celebrities and brands hope to flip the script 03:59 Teenage boys are obsessing over luxury colognes in a new trend known as ‘smellmaxxing’ 03:26 Influencer Sydney Towle dies at 26 after documenting rare cancer illness 02:28 Miss North Carolina USA stripped of her crown after alleged past racist comments resurface 02:46 How ‘cigfluencers’ are bringing back smoking on social media against doctors’ orders 03:20 Influencer allegedly killed by husband after accusing him of pedophilia on TikTok, police say 00:57 What is 'popcorn brain' and how to help it 04:26 TikTok documentary posted by Paris Hilton digs into notorious deepfake pornography website 03:58 Philadelphia high school fights misinformation crisis 03:41 Influencers say their races are being swapped out by A.I. on social media 03:23 What are peptides and why is the FDA considering easing limits? 03:09 Fidel Castro’s grandson speaks on Cuba’s future, Trump, and social media 03:48 Sophisticated investment scheme swindling Americans out of savings 03:03 Influencer impersonation scams are targeting users online 03:59 Is ‘office air’ ruining your look at work?
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04 Reuters Why states fought to present a united case against Meta over youth social media harms - Reuters Why states fought to present a united case against Meta over youth social media harms Reuters
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05 Breitbart The trial is expected to include internal Meta research, among it a 2019 survey of 2,500 teenagers. According to the survey results cited in court filings, “Young people are acutely aware that Instagram can be bad for their mental health, yet are compelled to spend time on the app for fear of missing out on cultural and social trends.”
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