Walser Wealth Administration President Rebecca Walser reacts to greater than three dozen states suing Meta alleging that Fb and Instagram options are dangerous to kids on ‘Making Cash.’
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg will testify Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Courtroom in a landmark trial over claims that social media platforms hurt kids — his first time answering youth security allegations earlier than a jury.
The bellwether lawsuit, Ok.G.M. v. Meta Platforms, Inc., et al., was filed by a 20-year-old California girl recognized by her initials. She alleges that Meta and different social media corporations engineered their platforms to hook younger customers, fueling her melancholy and suicidal ideas, and is looking for to carry the businesses accountable.
Meta’s Instagram and Google’s YouTube deny the allegations, citing years of expanded security options and parental controls as a part of their protection. The tech titans are anticipated to level to different elements in Ok.G.M.’s life, spotlight their investments in youth security and argue they shouldn’t be held liable for dangerous content material uploaded by customers.
Mark Zuckerberg throughout a dinner with tech leaders within the State Eating Room of the White Home on Sept. 4, 2025. (Will Oliver/EPA/Bloomberg/Getty Pictures)
A verdict for the plaintiff, Ok.G.M., might set a precedent for holding tech corporations liable for dangerous design choices, regardless of years of efficiently invoking Part 230’s content material legal responsibility protect. Part 230 is a federal legislation that largely shields on-line platforms from lawsuits associated to user-posted content material.
A rejection of that protection might pave the best way for related lawsuits throughout the nation, exposing Meta and different tech corporations to billions in damages and pressuring them to revamp their platforms.
BIG TECH’S TOBACCO MOMENT IS HERE — AND THE TRUTH ABOUT HARMING KIDS IS OUT
On this picture illustration, the TikTok app is seen on a telephone on March 13, 2024, in New York Metropolis. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Pictures)
Past this case, Meta and Google face greater than 2,300 associated lawsuits filed by mother and father, college districts and state attorneys common in federal courtroom.
The wave of lawsuits displays a rising backlash towards social media corporations over issues about their impression on kids’s psychological well being and security. Lawmakers, mother and father and regulators have more and more accused platforms of prioritizing progress and engagement over defending younger customers.
In New Mexico, opening statements started Monday in a separate case introduced by the state’s legal professional common accusing Meta of exposing minors to sexual exploitation and taking advantage of it — allegations the corporate denies.
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Meta and Google face greater than 2,300 associated lawsuits filed by mother and father, college districts and state attorneys common in federal courtroom. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg through Getty Pictures)
The scrutiny isn’t restricted to america.
Nations akin to Australia and Spain have moved to limit social media entry for customers beneath 16, citing issues about dependancy, on-line harms and psychological well being. Different governments are weighing related age-based limits as strain mounts worldwide.
