Facebook And Instagram May Change Forever

If Meta loses the lawsuit regarding the protection of children's personal data.

On Tuesday, Meta is set to face a jury trial, the outcome of which could jeopardize the company’s operations—Meta has already lost several lawsuits in which it was proven that its platforms are harmful to minors, according to BBC.

The legal proceedings stem from a lawsuit filed in 2023 by 30 U.S. states, including California and New York, in which they accuse the company of numerous violations of federal and state laws protecting children’s privacy.

The company’s market capitalization currently stands at approximately $1.5 trillion. The plaintiffs are seeking not only more than $1 trillion in damages but also changes to Instagram and Facebook, including the removal of “like” counters and the infinite feed.

If Meta ultimately loses a case of this magnitude, it could lead to fundamental changes in how young people use social media.

The plaintiffs are demanding a fundamental change in approach, specifically:

implement a parental verification process for teenage users

modify “dopamine-manipulating recommendation algorithms”
remove filters that alter physical appearance

disable automatic video playback

prohibit the creation of multiple accounts

disable disappearing “ephemeral” posts, specifically Instagram Stories

The plaintiffs believe that these features are designed to encourage users, including teenagers, to visit the platforms as often as possible and stay there as long as possible. Frequent notifications prompting users to open the apps also prevent them from spending less time online. Meta “chose to exploit” young people and “hooked” them in order to expand its user base and grow its business, the plaintiffs argue.

Meta consistently denies these allegations.

“We strongly disagree with these allegations and are confident that the evidence will demonstrate our longstanding commitment to supporting young people,” a company spokesperson said in a statement.

The case is being presided over by Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, a chief federal judge in California. She presided over the high-profile “Elon Musk v. Sam Altman” trial and, in nearly 20 years on the bench, has earned a reputation as a perceptive and uncompromising jurist.

Social Media as a Public Issue

About a week ago, New Mexico State Judge Brian Bidshead fined the company a total of $942 million and ordered it to make changes similar to those now being demanded by other states. The company must remove the “like” counter for users under 18, limit push notifications to certain times of day, and ensure that minors cannot send or receive nude images.

The judge described Meta as a public hazard—much like a factory that emits harmful substances into the atmosphere, polluting the environment and thereby violating people’s general right to clean air. Similarly, in his view, the harmful effects of Meta’s platforms extend far beyond the platforms themselves. Meta stated that it would appeal the ruling.

Judge Bidsheid’s ruling requires Meta to make changes only in New Mexico, but if the 30 states that filed the lawsuit prevail against the company, changes to the platform’s operations will almost certainly have to be implemented throughout the United States (that is, in all 50 states). The states involved in the lawsuit represent nearly two-thirds of the country’s population.

If Meta does indeed implement these changes, it will mean a significant shift in how its platforms operate.

The “like” counter, for example, has existed since the launch of Facebook, which was the company’s first platform—at the time, it was still called Facebook, not Meta.

Likes are the primary way people interact with the text, photos, and videos they see on social media. However, there is now growing concern that they fuel emotional distress, especially among young people.

Kaylee, a young woman who won a lawsuit against Meta this spring, testified during the trial about how she created dozens of accounts on Instagram and YouTube. She would “like” her own posts in the hope of attracting other users’ attention and, in this way, boost her self-esteem and feel appreciated. According to her, she suffered from depression—a diagnosis she received later, when she was 10 years old.

Research over the past few years has shown that engagement metrics, such as the number of likes, can cause teenagers to feel rejected and depressed.

As part of the proceedings, Meta submitted more than two million documents. Lawyers for the plaintiffs point to Meta’s own study, which showed that the number of likes under images prompts people to compare themselves to those who received more likes, and this affects their self-esteem. This intensifies feelings of loneliness, worsens body image, and leads to low mood and even emotional distress.

Judge Bidshead noted in his ruling that the way Meta’s platforms have operated for more than 10 years has exacerbated the “youth mental health crisis” in New Mexico and other regions.

Now, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers will be urged by 30 more U.S. states to issue a similar ruling.

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