Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - A court in the United States has declared\nGoogle and Meta guilty of creating social media platforms that damage\nthe younger generation. The two companies have been found to have\nintentionally designed applications that cause addiction.<\/p>\n
A jury in a Los Angeles court fined Meta US$4.2 million and Google\nUS$1.8 million. This ruling is seen as opening the door to thousands of\nother lawsuits.<\/p>\n
The Los Angeles trial began with a lawsuit from a 20-year-old woman\nnamed Kaley. Kaley stated that she became addicted to YouTube and\nInstagram from a young age because both platforms implemented designs\nthat capture user attention, such as unlimited scroll features.<\/p>\n
The court found Google, the owner of YouTube, and Meta, the owner of\nInstagram, negligent for applying addictive design elements and failing\nto warn users about the dangers posed by their platforms.<\/p>\n
During the trial, the plaintiff\u2019s lawyers sought to demonstrate how\nMeta and Google targeted child users and made decisions prioritising\nprofits over safety.<\/p>\n
Internal company documents were presented showing efforts by Meta and\nGoogle to attract young users. One key piece of evidence was Meta CEO\nMark Zuckerberg\u2019s decision to remove a policy banning beauty filters,\ndespite those features being proven harmful to children and\nteenagers.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday\u2019s ruling is a referendum from the jury to the entire industry;\naccountability is finally here,\u201d said the plaintiff\u2019s lawyer Kelsey, as\nquoted by Reuters.<\/p>\n
Meta and Google rejected the ruling and plan to appeal.<\/p>\n
Reuters explained that the Los Angeles ruling opens the way for\nlawsuits against social media companies. Previously, social media\ncompanies were protected by law from being sued over content circulating\non their platforms. However, the plaintiffs in Los Angeles showed that\nthey could be brought to court based on platform design.<\/p>\n
Snap and TikTok have also been sued. However, both companies chose to\nsettle before the trial process began.<\/p>\n
The trial marks a new stage amid pressure faced by US tech giants\nregarding child and adolescent safety.<\/p>\n
Around 20 US states have issued regulations on restricting social\nmedia access for children and teenagers. These rules include mandatory\nage verification for user accounts up to smartphone bans in schools.<\/p>\n
However, US Congress representatives have so far refused to create\nnational rules on social media restrictions.<\/p>\n
In Indonesia, the government has established regulations delaying\nsocial media access for children and teenagers. Starting from 28 March\n2026, the government will prohibit children under 16 from having social\nmedia accounts without parental consent.<\/p>\n
Social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and even\nRoblox must implement user age verification systems and apply\nrestrictions based on each platform\u2019s risk factors.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/indonesias-regulations-proven-correct-americans-agree-1774522286", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }