Meta is facing a major child privacy trial in the United States that could force significant changes to some of the most familiar features on Instagram and Facebook.
The case stems from a lawsuit filed in 2023 by 30 US states, including California and New York, accusing Meta of violating federal and state privacy laws relating to children.
According to the BBC, the states are seeking potentially more than $1 trillion from Meta and are also demanding changes to how its platforms operate for young users.
Among the changes sought are the removal of visible like counts and infinite scrolling for younger users, parental verification for teenage accounts, changes to recommendation algorithms, restrictions on appearance-altering image filters, an end to autoplay video, restrictions on multiple accounts and the removal of disappearing posts such as Instagram Stories.
The states argue that features designed to increase engagement have encouraged children and teenagers to spend more time on the platforms and have contributed to harmful social comparison and other negative effects.
Meta has rejected the allegations, saying it strongly disagrees with the claims and is confident the evidence will demonstrate its longstanding commitment to supporting young people.
The case is set to be heard before US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in California.
The trial follows a separate ruling in New Mexico in which Meta was fined $942 million and ordered to introduce several changes affecting younger users. Meta has said it will appeal that ruling.
If the 30 states prevail in the latest case, the outcome could have much wider consequences because the states involved represent nearly two-thirds of the US population.
A ruling against Meta could therefore lead to fundamental changes in how children and teenagers use Instagram and Facebook across the United States. (Newswire)
