RESOLVING THE LEDGER
This is one outlet's own report from NBC Bay Area — the article as it was filed. Other outlets are covering the same event; open the full story to compare every source side by side.
See the full story · 6 sources
Proceedings entered their second week in a high-profile federal trial pitting the state of California against Meta, as a judge and jury weigh whether social media platforms are intentionally addictive and harmful to children.
The focus inside an Oakland courtroom turned directly to Instagram, examining whether young minds can suffer harm from scrolling through the app and evaluating whether Meta takes sufficient measures to protect users from developing addictions.
Witnesses testifying to the psychological impacts and mechanical reach of social media included a psychology professor from San Diego State University and a former Instagram employee. Their testimony highlighted how corporate efforts to curtail user session lengths failed to prevent young people from staying on the app.
At the center of the trial is the question of whether Instagram is intentionally addictive and whether Meta executives were aware of those traits. The core legal argument has drawn widespread comparisons to the landmark tobacco litigation of the 1990s.
Legal experts caution that establishing deliberate intent poses a major hurdle for state attorneys general.
“It’s not simply that social media is addictive, but that it was intentionally so,” said Stavros Gadinis, a professor of law at Berkeley Law School. “There were systematic design choices that the company made, and these design choices lead to longer engagement.”
The testifying psychologist described social media as both a blessing and a curse. While acknowledging evidence of harm caused to young users spending extensive time on the platforms, the witness noted that Instagram also fosters genuine human connections by helping individuals find friends and co-workers.
Legal experts note that prosecutors bear the burden of proving that Meta actively sought to hook users on its products. Furthermore, prosecutors must demonstrate that any resulting harm stems directly from the design of the entire product rather than the individual sensitivity of specific users.
AIPROPX is an independent multi-source news index — we track, compare, and connect coverage from across the web into one place you won't find anywhere else.