Kathmandu. Facebook and Instagram’s parent company Meta could face heavy fines. Four U.S. states have filed fines against the company. It is considered to be the largest in the history of the tech industry.
That’s about $1.4 trillion. This amount is close to Meta’s total market value. Interestingly, Meta has a market capitalization of just $1.5 trillion. The fine is $1.4 trillion.
Meta accuses children of addiction
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It’s not just that the user’s account has been hacked or the data has been leaked. The accusations are much broader than that. The US states have accused Meta of knowingly designing Facebook and Instagram to make children and teenagers addicted to these apps. In addition, the company misled people into believing that its platforms were secure despite having insider knowledge of the risks.
Several U.S. states file lawsuits against Meta
The case will now be heard in federal court in California in August. Currently, California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey are involved in the lawsuit. Fourteen other states have also initiated separate legal proceedings against Meta.
The states allege that many of the features on Instagram and Facebook are designed to limit children’s screen time. These include continuous scrolling feeds, notifications, like systems, recommendation algorithms, and other engagement features.
Children suffering from depression and sleep problems
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Meta is accused of causing anxiety, depression, sleep problems and social media addiction in many children. Meta has categorically denied the allegations. The company said that social media addiction is not an official mental illness. Therefore, it is wrong for the company to deliberately suggest that people are addicted to it.
Rejected by meta
Meta said it had added more features to protect young people and that the $1.4 trillion fines demanded by the states were unfounded. It’s worth noting that this isn’t the first time Meta has faced such an accusation. Thousands of American families, schools and several states have already filed lawsuits against companies such as Meta, TikTok, YouTube and Snapchat. They have accused social media companies of creating features designed to keep users on the platform for a long time. This has a negative impact on children’s mental health.
Previous charges and penalties
A few months ago, there was a major verdict against Meta in New Mexico. A jury fined the company $375 million. In another lawsuit, Meta and YouTube were held liable for harm to young users. The lawsuits have intensified mounting legal pressure on social media companies in the US.
If the court rules in favor of the states in the lawsuit, which was scheduled for August, it could be a turning point not just for Meta but for the tech industry as a whole. Other social media companies could face similar action, forcing them to make significant changes to their platform design and child safety regulations. –Agency
