“Power is not a license and profit does not free Big Tech from responsibility,” shouts Lori Schott. She stands in front of a poster with more than 130 names. Children and young people who - their relatives are convinced - were driven to their deaths by social media. Schott's daughter Annalena had self-esteem problems, which Instagram fatally increased, says the mother.
Thousands of lawsuits from relatives are ongoing - but in Oakland, California, these are not individual cases. It's about the principle.
"They've developed a whole host of features that exploit the vulnerabilities of young brains - to keep them coming back for more: like Instagram Stories, Autoplay and Infinite Scroll," said California Attorney General Rob Bonta. For him it is clear: This is really the intention in order to sell as much, precisely fitting and therefore expensive advertising space as possible.
Meta only expresses itself in writing
The attorneys general of California, Colorado and New Jersey hold a press conference after opening arguments. The defense doesn't. There are written statements from Meta like this: "The attorneys general may call it a groundbreaking case - their allegations are weak and unsubstantiated, their financial demands are completely disproportionate."
The representatives of the plaintiff states say: Meta is trying to portray itself as the victim in a grotesque manner. The company itself brought the astronomical figure of 1.4 trillion US dollars into play, extrapolated based on the number of young users and the maximum possible legal fines in California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey. The plaintiffs themselves cite an estimate of $200 billion for fines, restitution and confiscation of unlawful profits.
Comparison with lawsuits against the tobacco industry
The decision will be made by Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers at the end of the proceedings. The jury only has an advisory function. And it's still important, says New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport, because she deals with the questions and the information and comes to a decision. "That's exactly what we want for parents: decisions based on facts instead of lies and deception."
Phil Weiser, Attorney General of Colorado, compares the proceedings to lawsuits against, for example, the tobacco industry.
Who is the victim here?
The defense says in its opening statement in court that the plaintiffs cherry-picked individual internal emails and took them out of context. The fact that they found a handful of accounts from under 13-year-olds ignores Meta's efforts to protect young people. "And anyway - why don't the app stores ensure that younger people can't download the corresponding apps onto their cell phones in the first place?"
The plaintiffs counter: The children, their families and parents - they are the victims. Meta is not the victim, said California Attorney General Bonta.
And Meta is just the first company to go to court. "This is an industry-wide problem. Many of these dangerous functions are not unique to Meta. TikTok also uses many of them in different variations. And we have now also sued TikTok."
If the California Attorney General has his way, Snap and YouTube will also be next in line.
For Lori Schott, perhaps not consolation, but satisfaction: "No company, no matter how rich, powerful or how untouchable it feels, should be above the truth, the law and our children."
