META COULD BE FORCED TO BREAK SOCIAL MEDIA AS WE KNOW IT
Meta says it could face up to $1.2 TRILLION in damages in a California social-media trial.
But the money may be the least terrifying part.
The states are asking the court to force Meta to remove design features they argue are intentionally addictive — including infinite scrolling, autoplay, disappearing content like Instagram Stories, beauty filters, and algorithm-driven feeds.
Why?
Because the accusation is brutally simple:
Keep users hooked. Keep them scrolling. Keep them watching. Collect their data. Sell their attention.
California prosecutors argue Meta prioritized profit over child safety and concealed what it knew about users under 13.
And this could become much bigger than Meta.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta has already warned that Meta is only “the first in line.”
YouTube and Snap are also facing lawsuits over alleged harms linked to social-media use.
That means one unfavorable ruling against Meta could become a legal blueprint for the entire industry.
And the consequences could be massive.
No more endless feeds designed to keep your thumb moving.
No more autoplay dragging you into the next video.
No more disappearing content engineered to create constant fear of missing out.
Potentially, a fundamentally different Instagram.
A fundamentally different Facebook.
And eventually, a fundamentally different social-media industry.
Analysts are comparing the situation to the legal reckoning that hit Big Tobacco in the 1990s.
That comparison is fucking serious.
Because if courts establish that certain platform designs can be legally treated as harmful to minors, every major social-media company suddenly has a target on its back.
And Meta already has another problem.
In March, Meta and YouTube were found liable in a major Los Angeles trial involving a young woman who said she became addicted to their platforms as a child and suffered severe body dysmorphia, depression and suicidal thoughts.
$BTC
Meta says it could face up to $1.2 TRILLION in damages in a California social-media trial.
But the money may be the least terrifying part.
The states are asking the court to force Meta to remove design features they argue are intentionally addictive — including infinite scrolling, autoplay, disappearing content like Instagram Stories, beauty filters, and algorithm-driven feeds.
Why?
Because the accusation is brutally simple:
Keep users hooked. Keep them scrolling. Keep them watching. Collect their data. Sell their attention.
California prosecutors argue Meta prioritized profit over child safety and concealed what it knew about users under 13.
And this could become much bigger than Meta.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta has already warned that Meta is only “the first in line.”
YouTube and Snap are also facing lawsuits over alleged harms linked to social-media use.
That means one unfavorable ruling against Meta could become a legal blueprint for the entire industry.
And the consequences could be massive.
No more endless feeds designed to keep your thumb moving.
No more autoplay dragging you into the next video.
No more disappearing content engineered to create constant fear of missing out.
Potentially, a fundamentally different Instagram.
A fundamentally different Facebook.
And eventually, a fundamentally different social-media industry.
Analysts are comparing the situation to the legal reckoning that hit Big Tobacco in the 1990s.
That comparison is fucking serious.
Because if courts establish that certain platform designs can be legally treated as harmful to minors, every major social-media company suddenly has a target on its back.
And Meta already has another problem.
In March, Meta and YouTube were found liable in a major Los Angeles trial involving a young woman who said she became addicted to their platforms as a child and suffered severe body dysmorphia, depression and suicidal thoughts.
$BTC
