Meta disregarded its own research on teen harm, Tennessee lawyers tell jury

A landmark trial has begun in Tennessee, with state lawyers accusing Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, of knowingly harming teenagers by prioritizing profit over their mental well-being. Attorneys for Tennessee told a jury in Nashville that Meta's own internal research repeatedly flagged the negative impacts of its platforms on young users, including links to eating disorders, depression, and self-harm.

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Meta disregarded internal research about its platform’s impact on teenagers, while the company sought to maximize profit from those young users.

Despite these internal warnings, the state's legal team asserted that Meta continued to employ features like autoplay, notifications, and infinite scroll. These design choices, they argued, were intentionally crafted to keep teenagers hooked on Instagram for longer periods, thereby increasing the number of advertisements they viewed. This strategy, according to the state, directly contributed to the documented harm experienced by young users.

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features such as notifications and infinite scroll “are inherently at odds with well-being” and said that the company needed to warn the public. “This warning never came,”

In its opening statements, Meta's defense team countered these accusations. They stated that the company has been transparent regarding the risks teenagers face on Instagram and the prevalence of harmful content. The company's attorney emphasized Meta's ongoing efforts to identify and rectify issues on its platforms, suggesting that the internal documents cited by Tennessee are evidence of this proactive approach.

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documents such as those Cartmell cited are proof that the company is searching for problems on its platforms, so it can improve them.

Tennessee's lawsuit is one of many similar cases filed by states across the U.S. against Meta. This trial follows a significant loss for the company in New Mexico, where a jury found Meta liable for harming children and ordered it to pay $375 million in civil penalties. The outcome in Tennessee could have further implications for Meta as thousands of other lawsuits are pending from families, school districts, and state attorneys general.

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We think the evidence will show that Meta is doing its part and empowering others to do their part, because protecting teens online is a shared responsibility. It takes a village.