Meta defends child-safety measures as states sue over alleged platform harms

A California federal lawsuit filed by four states alleges that Meta’s Instagram and Facebook platforms are deliberately designed to hook children, contributing to a broader mental-health crisis among youth. The plaintiffs seek billions in damages and fundamental changes to how the apps operate, while Meta’s attorney Paul Schmidt defended the company’s longstanding efforts to protect its youngest users, emphasizing age-verification enforcement and recent teen-account features.

Critics such as Marc Berkman of the Organization for Social Media Safety argue that Meta’s safety measures are reactionary and lack real institutional will. A September 2025 investigation by former employee Arturo Béjar and several advocacy groups reported that 60% of the 53 teen safety tools evaluated were either missing or malfunctioning. Academic Ashley Shea noted that design elements like infinite scrolling and algorithmic feeds prey on developing brains, and former employee testimony described the “Take a Break” feature as ineffective. The case reflects growing legal and legislative pressure on tech firms to address the addictive nature of their platforms.