Feb. 9 (UPI) — Opening arguments are set to begin this week in a pair of cases challenging the safety of social media platforms operated by Meta and YouTube for children.
Meta, which operates Facebook and Instagram, is going on trial on Monday in a case in which the state of New Mexico accuses it for failing to protect children from online predators.
New Mexican Attorney General Raúl Torrez, who filed the lawsuit in 2023, said the company “steered and connected users — including children — to sexually explicit, exploitative and child sex abuse materials and facilitated human trafficking.”
“What we are really alleging is that Meta has created a dangerous product, a product that enables not only the targeting of children, but the exploitation of children in virtual spaces and in the real world,” Torrez said in an appearance on CNBC’s Squawk Box on Monday.
Also this week, lawyers for a 20-year-old woman identified only by her initials, KGM, plan to argue that Meta and YouTube both created addictive platforms that had negative outcomes on their client when she was a minor. They said she developed anxiety, body dysmorphia and suicidal thoughts, CNN reported.
“I think that we will be able to show you evidence that indicates Instagram and YouTube created certain design features … to keep young users like [KGM] engaged for as long as possible,” layer Mark Lanier said during jury selection. “She became consumed by these platforms; her mental health declined. Her childhood, hence her adulthood, deviated from a normal path.”
Meta and YouTube have said they plan to argue that the negative issues experienced by KGM stemmed from a difficult home and family life.
“We strongly disagree with these allegations and are confident that evidence will show our longstanding commitment to supporting young people,” a Meta spokesperson said in a statement.
A YouTube spokesperson told CNN that the allegations are “simply not true.”
“Providing young people with a safer, healthier experience has always been core to our work.”
KGM’s case is set to take place in Los Angeles County Superior Court this week, though opening statements were delayed after an attorney for Meta experienced a health issue. Expected to testify in the case are Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri and YouTube CEO Neal Mohan.
The initial lawsuit also named Snap and TikTok, both of which settled the case ahead of trial.
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