Facebook Owner Faces Avalanche of Lawsuits for Allegedly Harming Kids

Big Tech, Social Media, , , ,

A federal trial got underway last week in Oakland, California, over claims that social media platforms harmed children’s mental health and illegally tracked kids under 13.

The U.S. Surgeon General says 95% of American teenagers use social media, and about one-third use it “almost constantly.” But federal lawsuits have raised concerns about the harm that Big Tech can do to kids.

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that jury selection began last Wednesday in a landmark case against social media giant Meta — the parent company of Facebook and Instagram.

The lawsuit claims Meta routinely collected data on children under 13 without parental consent, in violation of federal law. It also alleges the company knowingly designed its platforms to addict young users and hid what it knew about the harm its platforms caused.

Opening statements are set for this week. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram chief Adam Mosseri are both expected to testify.

The trial is part of an avalanche of lawsuits Meta currently faces in state and federal court.

In 2023, Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin sued Meta in state court for endangering children. In the lawsuit, his office alleged that platforms like Facebook and Instagram are built around algorithms intentionally designed “to exploit human psychology and foster addiction to maximize users’ screen time.” The A.G. says this exploitation is especially harmful for young users with developing brains. The lawsuit is still ongoing.

Time and again, we have seen examples of just how harmful tech platforms can be — especially for children.

Courts in New Mexico and California have already found Meta liable for harming children on its platforms.

Social media giant TikTok has found itself embroiled in controversies over its failure to protect private user data from entities in China — including the Chinese Communist Party. The platform also has been accused of serving users a steady “diet of darkness” and violating laws intended to protect children online.

Late last year, Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach sent a strongly worded letter to major AI developers, calling for real safeguards that protect kids. In a statement, Kobach highlighted a Topeka case in which a sexual predator used AI to create thousands of images depicting child abuse.

It’s worth pointing out that adults and teens are beginning to understand that users need protection on social media and other tech platforms.

A recent survey from the Pew Research Center revealed most adults support banning children under 16 from using social media altogether, and polling shows most teens worry that someone could use AI to generate inappropriate images of them.

Tech platforms are multibillion-dollar businesses that profit from users’ attention and emotions. The adults who own and profit from these businesses have a responsibility to protect their users — especially teenagers.

Children deserve proactive protection online. The Arkansas Legislature and Arkansas Attorney General’s office have worked hard to give children that kind of protection. Our federal courts need to do their part as well.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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TikTok Seeks Arkansas School Documents

Social Media, , ,

Last week, attorneys for TikTok served subpoenas on public school officials in Northwest Arkansas requesting documents and testimony that may be relevant to a lawsuit over the social media giant’s operations.

TikTok boasts approximately one billion users worldwide — including upwards of 135 million in the U.S. — making it one of the most popular social media platforms on the planet. Its Chinese-based parent company, ByteDance, has been valued at $300 billion.

But TikTok has come under fire for struggling to protect private user data from entities in China — including the Chinese Communist Party — and the platform has been accused of serving users a steady “diet of darkness” online.

In 2023, Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin filed a consumer protection lawsuit against TikTok in Cleburne County Circuit Court.

The A.G.’s legal complaint calls the TikTok app “a Chinese ‘Trojan Horse’ unleashed on unsuspecting American consumers,” and notes that “tens of millions of minors use TikTok in the United States.”

Once on the app, the Attorney General’s office writes that TikTok’s algorithm “force-feeds” objectionable content to users.

The lawsuit says some of the objectionable content TikTok promotes to teens includes “illegal drug use, sex, violence, and self-harm,” and alleges that TikTok deceptively labeled its app as being appropriate for ages 13 and up when it really should have been rated 17+.

Last Tuesday, attorneys for TikTok served subpoenas to public school officials in Springdale requesting research, studies, communications, policies, programs, public statements, complaints, and other records concerning TikTok and other online platforms — particularly the effects these platforms allegedly have on Arkansas youth.

To be clear, the Springdale schools and officials are not being sued and are not accused of any wrongdoing in these documents. Rather, the subpoenas appear aimed at obtaining documents and deposition testimony that the attorneys may use in defending against Attorney General Griffin’s lawsuit.

As we have said repeatedly, there is growing evidence that social media platforms may deliberately addict users, promote objectionable content, and put people’s personal information at risk.

Social media platforms are more than just phone apps or websites. These are multibillion-dollar businesses, and the adults who profit from them need to be held to the same standards as other business leaders.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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Family Council Joins Letter Urging Senate Leaders to Protect Kids Online

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On Thursday, Family Council joined a letter urging leaders in the U.S. Senate to protect children online.

Most teens and young adults are extremely active online. The U.S. Surgeon General says 95% of American teenagers use social media, and about one-third say they use it “almost constantly.” But parents, policymakers, and pundits have raised concerns about the harm that Big Tech can do to kids.

In March, juries in New Mexico and Los Angeles found Facebook and Instagram’s owner, Meta, liable for harming children’s mental health and concealing what it knew about child sexual exploitation on its platforms. In June, Reuters reported that Meta had begun lobbying Congress for special immunity from child-harm lawsuits during debate on the Kids Online Safety Act.

Apparently, instead of protecting children, Big Tech would rather avoid accountability.

On Thursday, Family Council joined other pro-family leaders from across the country in a letter urging U.S. Senators Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell on the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee to be sure federal legislation upholds parental rights and protects children online.

The letter calls on the committee to protect children from addictive technology and reject any proposal to shield tech companies from accountability, writing:

When an addictive or potentially hazardous substance like alcohol, tobacco, or nicotine is in a product, we assist parents by prohibiting marketing of those products to children. In these ways, we require those who are designing, manufacturing, and marketing the product to assist parents, and we hold accountable those who hide known information about potential harm arising from their product. This same principle must apply to the most ubiquitous and addictive products on today’s market . . . Any measure advanced by the committee should build on state efforts to protect children, and any demand to grant preemptive immunity for emerging technology (especially generative AI) in exchange for ratifications of protections on other technologies should be emphatically rejected.

Time and again, we have seen examples of just how harmful social media and artificial intelligence can be for users — especially children.

Social media giant TikTok has found itself embroiled in controversies over its failure to protect private user data from entities in China — including the Chinese Communist Party. In May of 2025, Ireland’s Data Protection Commission fined TikTok $600 million for unlawfully transferring European user data to China.

The platform also has been accused of serving users a steady “diet of darkness” and violating laws intended to protect children online.

Late last year, Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach sent a strongly worded letter to major AI developers, calling for real safeguards that protect kids.

In a statement, Kobach highlighted a Topeka case in which a sexual predator used AI to create thousands of images depicting child abuse.

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin has actually sued Facebook and Instagram’s owner, Meta, in state court for endangering children.

The Arkansas Attorney General’s Office has alleged that platforms like Facebook and Instagram are built around algorithms intentionally designed “to exploit human psychology and foster addiction to maximize users’ screen time.” The A.G. says this exploitation is especially harmful for young users with developing brains.

It’s worth pointing out that people believe children deserve protection when it comes to social media.

A recent survey from the Pew Research Center shows most Americans support banning children under 16 from using social media altogether.

Social media and AI platforms are multibillion dollar industries, and the adults who own and profit from these companies have a responsibility to protect their users.

Children deserve proactive protection online. The Arkansas Legislature and Arkansas Attorney General’s office have worked hard to give children that kind of protection. Our federal policymakers need to do their part to as well.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

READ MORE