Tech giant Meta is facing battles in courtrooms across the US that could change how its platforms are regulated, as social media faces a global reckoning.
Opening arguments began on Monday in New Mexico, where Meta has been accused of not doing enough to protect children from exploitation and trafficking on its platforms, which include Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Threads.
In the lawsuit, the state argues that Meta has created a "breeding ground" for predators exploiting children. An undercover investigation had law enforcement agents posing as children on social media to track sexual advances and observing Meta's response.
As the trial began, Meta vice president of communications Andy Stone accused the office of New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez of endangering children.
"New Mexico AG Torrez didn't describe the ethical compromises in his Meta investigation," he posted on Threads.
"For instance, he didn't mention investigators opting to show images of real children to potential predators or choosing not to report potential child exploitative imagery they found."
Meanwhile, another trial got under way in Los Angeles, with Meta and Alphabet-owned YouTube accused of knowingly using interfaces and features that made them addictive to children and teenagers.
One plaintiff in the case said that using social media at an early age made her addicted to the technology and exacerbated depression and suicidal thoughts.
Originally, TikTok and Snap, owner of Snapchat, were listed in the California lawsuit, but both companies settled out of court for undisclosed amounts.
Meta and other technology companies are facing a global reckoning over social media platforms.
Although Meta and others lobbied hard against it, Australia's government passed a social media ban at the start of the year for children under the age of 16. Almost two months after the Australian law went into effect, the Czech Republic has said it is considering similar measures.
"We've been very public on this, we disagree with it," said Derya Matras, Meta's vice president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, during an interview with The National at the recent World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland.
"It [Australia's ban] will push kids to other platforms that are not as safe and not as restrictive [as Facebook]."
Meta has insisted that such measures are unnecessary with the company's parental control features and offerings, such as Instagram for Teens, which it has advertised heavily in recent months.
In 2024, former US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy announced his desire for social media platforms to have warning labels.
Last week, the European Commission announced that its preliminary findings showed that TikTok was "in breach of the Digital Services Act for its addictive design". As a result, the social media company may face a fine.
"TikTok did not adequately assess how these addictive features could harm the physical and mental well-being of its users, including minors and vulnerable adults," the commission wrote.
Also last week, actor and director Joseph Gordon-Levitt, alongside Democratic and Republican members of Congress, appeared in Washington to speak on the repeal of Section 230, which legally distances social media companies from the content posted by their users.
Yet for all the scrutiny and legal battles Meta has faced over the past decade, it has largely emerged unscathed.
Although the US Federal Trade Commission plans to challenge a recent ruling, a federal judge decided that despite the government's arguments, Meta was not a monopoly and would not have to spin off several of its platforms.
