Meta has been removing ads on its platforms, placed by an attorney, targeting users who feel they were harmed by social media when they were under 18, according to a report from Axios.
The removal of ads comes just after Meta and YouTube were found to be negligent in a trial in California, alleging that the companies caused a social media addiction for one woman who had been using the platforms since she was a child. AP reports that the jury in the case deliberated for over 40 hours and recommended the woman receive $3 million in damages.
As AP noted in the report, this was a first-of-its-kind lawsuit that could impact similar lawsuits that would hold social media companies responsible for causing harm. It’s possible that a class action lawsuit could be filed, and some lawyers are posting ads on social media to encourage users to join. The Axios report says that over a dozen of those ads have been deactivated on Facebook and Instagram. The Wall Street Journal reports that hundreds of the ads have been taken down.
Section 3.2 of Meta’s terms of service, regarding content that can be shared on Meta platforms, says We also can remove or restrict access to content, features, services, or information if we determine that doing so is reasonably necessary to avoid or mitigate misuse of our services or adverse legal or regulatory impacts to Meta.
That aligns with the statement Meta has given multiple outlets, which says “We’re actively defending ourselves against these lawsuits and are removing ads that attempt to recruit plaintiffs for them,. We will not allow trial lawyers to profit from our platforms while simultaneously claiming they are harmful.”