Meta and Google condemned: social misleads users and is addictive
A New Mexico court found Meta guilty for failing to protect consumers, while a Los Angeles jury ruled that Meta and Google are liable for mental health damages
Meta will have to pay $375 million for failing to properly inform users about the dangers of its platforms. A court in New Mexico, US, ordered Mark Zuckerberg's company to pay damages for violating the state's consumer protection laws. According to the court, Meta allegedly misled platform users and did not do enough to protect minors from sexual predators. In a second trial in California, the company was found guilty together with Google for the addiction caused young people.
The New Mexico prosecutor's accusations
The ruling in New Mexico is the first in a series of trials involving Meta this year. It is one of the biggest defeats for the group, which will appeal. The jury of a state district court in Santa Fe agreed with New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez, who had launched a lawsuit against Meta in 2023 precisely because of the poor security of its platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.
"The jury's verdict is a historic victory for every child and family who paid the price for Meta's choice to put profits above the safety of children," Torrez said. According to the attorney general, Meta executives, including Zuckerberg himself and Instagram number one Adam Mosseri, were aware of the security flaws. However, the company allegedly failed to take countermeasures, ignoring the reports of the employees themselves and lying to the public about what it knew.
The goal of the New Mexico attorney general's office is now to ask the judge for additional damages and impose a change in Meta's apps. A spokesperson for big tech said, 'we will continue to vigorously defend ourselves and remain confident in our history of protecting teens online.
The trial in California
Meanwhile in Los Angeles, California, a jury convicted Meta and Google of developing platforms that cause mental health damage to younger users. The companies are accused of designing services that create addiction, especially among teenagers. According to the court, Meta and Google are responsible for the negative effects caused by their platforms. The lawsuit stemmed from the complaint of a 20-year-old Californian woman, Kaley G.M., who alleged during the proceedings that YouTube (owned by Google) and Instagram (owned by Meta) instigated her depression and suicidal thoughts during childhood. Meta has indicated that it disagrees with the decision and is considering legal options, and Google, which disagrees with the verdict, also intends to appeal: 'This case,' says a spokesperson, 'misunderstands the nature of YouTube, which is a responsibly built streaming platform and not a social media'
