No more doom scrolling or Instagram Stories? A Meta trial loss could end the social media we know
"These trials are often compared to the Big Tobacco lawsuits of the 90s, and the outcome will likely be analogous as well," one analyst told CNBC.
TL;DR
- Meta faces a trial that could result in a trillion-dollar penalty and significant damage to its advertising model.
- The lawsuit seeks to force Meta to remove addictive design features from Instagram and Facebook, including infinite scrolling, autoplaying videos, and disappearing content.
- Legal experts compare the trial to the Big Tobacco lawsuits, predicting it could make social media harder for young people to access and change its cultural perception.
- Other social media companies like YouTube and Snap are also facing lawsuits related to user harms.
- A previous trial found Meta and YouTube negligent in a case where a young woman claimed addiction to their apps caused severe body dysmorphia, depression, and suicidal thoughts.