{"id":31189,"date":"2026-08-18T01:36:15","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T05:36:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/?p=31189"},"modified":"2026-08-18T01:36:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T05:36:15","slug":"instagram-and-facebook-could-change-forever-if-meta-loses-child-privacy-trial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/2026\/08\/18\/instagram-and-facebook-could-change-forever-if-meta-loses-child-privacy-trial\/","title":{"rendered":"Instagram and Facebook could change forever if Meta loses child privacy trial"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"ssrcss-vxwoax-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\" data-block=\"text\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-126h8e-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div data-testid=\"rich-text\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-nqezkk-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><b class=\"ssrcss-1xjjfut-BoldText e5tfeyi3\">Meta has been hit with successive losses in court over how its platforms have targeted and harmed young users, but a jury trial set to begin on Tuesday may pose the biggest threat yet to its operations.<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The trial stems from\u00a0<a class=\"ssrcss-1e0jzsh-InlineLink e1kn3p7n0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/c9q39l447l4o\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a lawsuit filed in 2023<\/a>\u00a0by 30 US states, including California and New York, in which they claim numerous violations of federal and state privacy laws for children.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Not only are the states seeking\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.courtlistener.com\/docket\/67908468\/455\/people-of-the-state-of-california-v-meta-platforms-inc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">upwards of $1 trillion<\/a>\u00a0from Meta, they are demanding it make changes to Instagram and Facebook, including ending &#8220;like&#8221; counts and infinite scroll.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Should Meta ultimately lose a case of this scale, it could force fundamental changes to the way young people experience social media.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The states suing Meta are asking for many more changes to the way Instagram and Facebook operate for young people, too.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">They want Meta to:<\/p>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-2st5ed-ListContainer e5tfeyi0\">\n<ul role=\"list\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">implement a process of parental verification for teenage users<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">change its &#8220;dopamine-manipulating recommendation algorithms&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">remove many image filters that change one&#8217;s appearance in photos<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">end autoplay of video content<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">prohibit the creation of multiple accounts<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">end disappearing or &#8220;ephemeral&#8221; posts, such as Instagram Stories<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">All of these features are central to the current user experience on Meta&#8217;s platforms.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">These features are also designed to keep users, including teenagers and children, on the platforms as often and for as long as possible, the states contend. They claim Meta even makes it difficult for young people to use the platform less, through things like frequent notifications designed to get young people back on the apps.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">By allegedly targeting child users, Meta &#8220;chose to exploit&#8221; young people in order to hook them on its platforms, so it could grow its user base and expand its business. Today, Meta&#8217;s value on the stock market is about $1.5tn.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Meta has consistently denied such claims.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;We strongly disagree with these allegations and are confident the evidence will show our longstanding commitment to supporting young people,&#8221; a company spokeswoman said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The states are putting their claims to Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, a chief federal judge in California. She was the judge in the high-profile Elon Musk v Sam Altman trial and has\u00a0<a class=\"ssrcss-1e0jzsh-InlineLink e1kn3p7n0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/cx214rnlpn7o\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">built a reputation from the bench<\/a>\u00a0over the course of nearly 20 years for being incisive and direct.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-vxwoax-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\" data-block=\"subheadline\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-usmnse-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div data-testid=\"subheadline\">\n<h2 id=\"Social-media-turned-public-nuisance\" class=\"ssrcss-1sc9t00-Heading e10rt3ze0\" tabindex=\"-1\"><span role=\"text\">Social media turned &#8216;public nuisance&#8217;<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-vxwoax-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\" data-block=\"text\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-126h8e-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div data-testid=\"rich-text\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-nqezkk-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">In a\u00a0<a class=\"ssrcss-1e0jzsh-InlineLink e1kn3p7n0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/cd7lz3wr2rlo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">recent ruling against Meta<\/a>, a judge in New Mexico fined the company a collective $942m and ordered it to make changes similar to those that the additional states are now demanding.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Judge Bryan Biedscheid&#8217;s ordered changes include the elimination on Instagram and Facebook of like counts for users younger than 18, a ban on teenagers sending or receiving nudity through the platforms, and limiting push notifications from the apps to certain hours of the day.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The judge also declared Meta a &#8220;public nuisance&#8221; akin to a factory that was polluting the air people breathe, causing &#8220;harmful effects&#8221; that impacted an entire population. Meta said it would appeal against the ruling.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">While Judge Biedscheid&#8217;s order only demands Meta make changes in New Mexico, should the 30 states prevail in their separate lawsuit against Meta, it would almost certainly need to enact platform changes across the US.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The states involved in the lawsuit represent nearly two-thirds of the country&#8217;s population.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">If Meta did enact such changes, it would mark a significant alteration to the experience of its platforms.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-l7emlr-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\" data-block=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-126h8e-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1uy5kw5-FullWidthWrapper ep2nwvo1\" data-testid=\"image\">\n<figure class=\"ssrcss-hc6arm-StyledFigure e34k3c22\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-ab5fd8-StyledFigureContainer e34k3c21\"><span class=\"ssrcss-1980o0w-Placeholder etlorgc0\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/240\/cpsprodpb\/9bbe\/live\/80661d70-975b-11f1-b2ab-0dd01740f9f6.jpg.webp 240w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/320\/cpsprodpb\/9bbe\/live\/80661d70-975b-11f1-b2ab-0dd01740f9f6.jpg.webp 320w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/480\/cpsprodpb\/9bbe\/live\/80661d70-975b-11f1-b2ab-0dd01740f9f6.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/624\/cpsprodpb\/9bbe\/live\/80661d70-975b-11f1-b2ab-0dd01740f9f6.jpg.webp 624w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/800\/cpsprodpb\/9bbe\/live\/80661d70-975b-11f1-b2ab-0dd01740f9f6.jpg.webp 800w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/976\/cpsprodpb\/9bbe\/live\/80661d70-975b-11f1-b2ab-0dd01740f9f6.jpg.webp 976w\" type=\"image\/webp\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"ssrcss-egie1y-Image edrdn950\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/3840\/cpsprodpb\/9bbe\/live\/80661d70-975b-11f1-b2ab-0dd01740f9f6.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/240\/cpsprodpb\/9bbe\/live\/80661d70-975b-11f1-b2ab-0dd01740f9f6.jpg 240w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/320\/cpsprodpb\/9bbe\/live\/80661d70-975b-11f1-b2ab-0dd01740f9f6.jpg 320w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/480\/cpsprodpb\/9bbe\/live\/80661d70-975b-11f1-b2ab-0dd01740f9f6.jpg 480w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/624\/cpsprodpb\/9bbe\/live\/80661d70-975b-11f1-b2ab-0dd01740f9f6.jpg 624w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/800\/cpsprodpb\/9bbe\/live\/80661d70-975b-11f1-b2ab-0dd01740f9f6.jpg 800w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/976\/cpsprodpb\/9bbe\/live\/80661d70-975b-11f1-b2ab-0dd01740f9f6.jpg 976w\" alt=\"A teenage girl wearing coloured bracelets sits outside looking down at her iPhone\" width=\"3840\" height=\"2159.833910034602\" \/><\/picture><\/span>A recent federal court ruling found social media to be a factor in deteriorating mental health among young people (Image: Reuters)<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-vxwoax-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\" data-block=\"text\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-126h8e-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div data-testid=\"rich-text\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-nqezkk-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;Like&#8221; counts, for instance, have been part of Meta since its early years, when it was still called Facebook and that was its only platform.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Today, likes are omnipresent on social media platforms. It is the main way in which people engage with text, photos and videos they see online.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Yet, likes are increasingly viewed as a way to foster negative feelings, particularly among young people.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Kaley, a young woman who\u00a0<a class=\"ssrcss-1e0jzsh-InlineLink e1kn3p7n0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/c747x7gz249o\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">prevailed in her lawsuit against Meta<\/a>\u00a0earlier this year, described during court testimony how she created dozens of accounts on YouTube and Instagram.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">She would use the system of accounts to create likes on her own posts, hoping to drive engagement with other users and her own feelings of validation and self-worth. Kaley was only nine years old at the time. She said she remembered feeling depressed, something she was later diagnosed with, aged 10.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Research over the last several years has shown that engagement metrics such as like counts\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC7722198\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">can drive feelings of rejection and depression<\/a>\u00a0in teenagers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">In the states&#8217; lawsuit against Meta, in which the company said it has handed over more than 2 million documents, lawyers pointed to Meta&#8217;s own research that showed like counts drove &#8220;social comparison&#8221;, or the mental act of marking one&#8217;s self worth against images of someone else.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">That social comparison driven by Instagram was linked to &#8220;increased loneliness, worse body image, and negative mood or affect&#8221;, according to Meta&#8217;s internal research.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">As Judge Biedscheid put it\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/nmdoj.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/D-101-CV-2023-02838-Meta-Judgement.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">in his order<\/a>\u00a0which was the first time a social media company has been deemed a &#8220;public nuisance&#8221;, the way Meta&#8217;s platforms have operated for over a decade has been part of a growing &#8220;youth mental health crisis&#8221; in New Mexico and elsewhere.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Now, attorneys from 30 more states will be pushing Judge Gonzalez Rogers to reach the same conclusion.<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/clyqpx6xk69o\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bbc.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\">Meta has been hit with successive losses in court over how its platforms have targeted and harmed young users, but a jury trial set to begin on Tuesday may pose the biggest threat yet to <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/2026\/08\/18\/instagram-and-facebook-could-change-forever-if-meta-loses-child-privacy-trial\/\" title=\"Instagram and Facebook could change forever if Meta loses child privacy trial\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":31190,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[109,2,13,3],"tags":[335,3190,12856,12855,8355,1312,11886],"class_list":["post-31189","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headline","category-news","category-tech-news","category-usa","tag-facebook","tag-instagram","tag-judge-yvonne-gonzalez-rogers","tag-mark-zuckerberg-children","tag-meta","tag-social-media","tag-us-district-court-for-the-northern-district-of-california","pmpro-has-access"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31189","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31189"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31189\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31191,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31189\/revisions\/31191"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31190"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31189"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31189"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31189"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}