Meta

Meta avoids social media addiction trial as wider litigation continues

Meta has avoided a scheduled social media addiction trial after the teenage plaintiff withdrew his claims less than a week before proceedings were due to begin, although broader litigation against major technology platforms over alleged harms to young users continues.

The case was brought by a 15-year-old Florida plaintiff identified as R.K.C. and was expected to become the second bellwether trial examining claims that major social media platforms used allegedly addictive design features that harmed teenagers.

TikTok, Snap and YouTube had already settled the plaintiff’s claims for undisclosed amounts, while his lawyers said he decided to withdraw the remaining case against Meta after weighing the overall outcome of the litigation and the burden of a lengthy trial.

Meta did not reach a settlement. Company spokesperson Andy Stone described the claims as baseless and said Meta would continue defending itself against similar lawsuits.

Litigation against major social media companies continues on several fronts. In an earlier bellwether case, a jury found Meta and Google’s YouTube negligent and awarded one plaintiff a total of US$6 million in compensatory and punitive damages.

In New Mexico, Meta was ordered to pay US$375 million, while further proceedings seeking structural changes to the company’s business practices remain pending.

Seven additional bellwether cases are scheduled in California state court, alongside separate federal litigation in Oakland and lawsuits brought by state attorneys general alleging that Meta misled the public about harmful and allegedly addictive platform features.

Why does it matter?

Although this individual case will not proceed to trial, it forms part of a much wider wave of litigation examining whether social media platforms can be held legally responsible for allegedly addictive design features and their effects on young users. Courts across the United States are increasingly being asked to assess where platform responsibility begins and how companies should balance user engagement with safety.

The remaining bellwether cases could influence future litigation and regulatory debates on child safety, platform accountability and product design. Their outcomes may also shape how courts evaluate claims involving algorithmic recommendation systems and other features designed to maximise user engagement.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot! 

Meta expands Threads parental controls for teenagers

Meta is expanding parental supervision on Threads with new tools that allow parents and guardians to monitor activity, set screen-time limits and manage privacy settings for teenage users.

The tools will begin rolling out in the United States next week through Meta’s Family Center. They build on the company’s existing Teen Accounts, which provide private profiles and restrictions on potentially sensitive content by default.

Parents will be able to view a teenager’s Threads usage over the previous seven days, including average daily screen time, set daily usage limits and block access during selected hours or days.

The restrictions apply across devices, while supervision also extends to overnight use through sleep mode, which mutes notifications and enables automatic replies between 10 pm and 7 am by default.

Parents can also manage who is allowed to tag teenagers in posts and approve changes to selected privacy and sensitive-content settings.

For users under 16, parents may decide whether default Teen Account protections can be relaxed.

Meta said the expanded supervision tools are intended to provide families with a single place to manage teenage experiences across its apps and that additional features will be introduced over time.

The controls can be activated through Meta’s Family Center once supervision has been established between a parent and teenager.

Why does it matter?

The expanded supervision tools reflect growing pressure on social media platforms to provide parents with greater oversight of children’s online experiences. Features such as screen-time limits, overnight restrictions and stronger privacy controls are increasingly becoming standard expectations rather than optional additions.

The effectiveness of these measures, however, will depend on accurate age verification, teenagers’ ability to circumvent restrictions and the extent to which parental controls are complemented by platform-wide safety measures. The announcement also reflects a wider regulatory trend, with governments increasingly expecting platforms to offer stronger protections for younger users.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech, and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

Meta adds suicide prevention safeguards to AI chats for teens

Meta has announced new safety measures for teenagers using Meta AI, including parental alerts when supervised teens show signs of suicide or self-harm during conversations with the chatbot. The company said alerts will be sent only after manual review and will include guidance to help parents support their child.

The company is also developing a system to notify emergency services when AI conversations indicate someone may face an imminent risk of suicide. The approach builds on the company’s existing practice of referring serious suicide risks identified on Facebook and Instagram to emergency responders.

Meta said it worked with more than 75 mental health clinicians to improve how its AI responds when teenagers discuss suicide or self-harm. The updated responses are intended to acknowledge users’ feelings while directing them towards appropriate offline support and crisis services.

The company is also extending its stricter ‘Limited Content’ setting to Meta AI chats, restricting a wider range of sensitive conversations for supervised teens. The parental alerts are now available in the US, UK, Australia and Canada, with global rollout planned by the end of the year.

Why does it matter?

The measures illustrate how AI safety is expanding beyond preventing harmful content to managing situations in which users may face immediate risks to their wellbeing. As conversational AI becomes more widely used by teenagers, developers are increasingly expected to incorporate safeguards, human oversight and access to professional support into their systems.

The announcement also highlights the growing convergence between AI governance and child online safety. Features such as parental notifications, clinically informed responses and emergency escalation suggest that AI assistants are beginning to adopt safety frameworks previously developed for social media platforms, raising new questions about privacy, duty of care and appropriate intervention.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot! 

Meta employees sue over alleged AI-assisted layoff decisions

A group of 26 Meta employees has sued the company, alleging that AI-assisted systems used in layoff decisions disproportionately affected workers who had taken medical, parental, or family leave.

The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Oakland, California, and relates to Meta’s May announcement that it would cut about 8,000 jobs, or roughly 10% of its workforce.

According to the complaint, Meta used internal AI systems, activity-monitoring data, token-usage dashboards and algorithmically assisted performance rankings to help select workers for layoffs.

The plaintiffs argue that those metrics could not be fairly accumulated by employees on protected leave or by workers whose output was affected by disability-related accommodations.

All 26 plaintiffs had taken protected leave and had requested or received disability-related accommodations. They have been notified of their layoffs but remain employed, with separations expected to begin on 22 July.

The complaint alleges violations of US labour and civil rights laws, including the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act.

Meta denied the allegations, saying the claims lack merit and that people, not AI, made workforce decisions.

The case adds to broader scrutiny of algorithmic systems in employment decisions, especially where performance metrics may have a disparate impact on workers who exercise protected rights.

Why does it matter?

The lawsuit puts algorithmic management directly into the employment-discrimination debate. If AI-assisted performance metrics do not account for protected leave, disability accommodations or caregiving responsibilities, they can appear neutral while producing unequal outcomes. The case could therefore become an important test of how existing labour and civil rights laws apply when companies use AI systems, productivity data and automated rankings in workforce decisions.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!  

Meta expands Louisiana AI data centre with $50 billion investment

Meta has announced plans to expand its data centre in Richland Parish, Louisiana, increasing the site’s AI computing capacity to 5 GW as part of the company’s broader investment in AI infrastructure. Meta said the expansion represents an investment of more than $50 billion and will support more than 1,000 permanent jobs once the facility becomes operational.

According to Meta, the project includes more than $1 billion in local infrastructure improvements, covering roads, water and wastewater systems. The company also said it has awarded more than $1.6 billion in contracts to Louisiana businesses since construction began in 2024.

The project also includes workforce development initiatives. Meta has committed $5 million to Louisiana Delta Community College for scholarships and training programmes related to data centre employment, while continuing to support local schools, businesses and community initiatives through grants and skills programmes.

Meta said the expanded campus forms part of its wider investment in AI infrastructure across the United States as demand for computing capacity continues to grow.

Why does it matter?

The expansion reflects the rapid growth in demand for AI computing infrastructure as technology companies invest heavily in data centres capable of training and running increasingly advanced AI models. Access to large-scale computing power is becoming a key competitive advantage in the AI industry.

The project also illustrates the broader economic impact of AI infrastructure investments. Beyond computing capacity, hyperscale data centres require significant spending on energy, water, transport and workforce development, making them increasingly important drivers of regional economic development.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech, and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

European Commission preliminarily finds Meta’s addictive platform design breaches the DSA

The European Commission has issued preliminary findings that Meta’s design of Instagram and Facebook breaches the Digital Services Act (DSA), arguing that features designed to maximise engagement may encourage compulsive use and fail to adequately protect children and other vulnerable users.

The investigation focuses on platform features including infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications and highly personalised recommender systems.

According to the Commission’s preliminary assessment, Meta failed to properly evaluate the risks these features pose to users’ physical and mental well-being. Investigators found that personalised recommendations, continuous content feeds and engagement-driven formats such as Reels and Stories can encourage excessive use, particularly among younger users.

The Commission also said Meta failed to adequately consider evidence showing that children spend significant time on Instagram and Facebook during nighttime hours.

The Commission also concluded that Meta’s existing mitigation measures are insufficient. Screen time tools, including those enabled by default for teenagers, can easily be dismissed and do not meaningfully reduce usage.

Parental controls were also found to require considerable technical knowledge and active supervision, while educational resources available through Meta’s Safety Centre were considered inadequate to mitigate the risks associated with addictive platform design.

According to the Commission, Meta should redesign several core platform features, including disabling autoplay and infinite scroll by default, introducing more effective screen-time reminders and reducing the engagement-driven nature of its recommender systems.

The findings are preliminary, and Meta now has the opportunity to examine the Commission’s evidence and submit a formal response before a final decision is adopted. If the infringement is ultimately confirmed, the company could face fines of up to 6% of its global annual turnover under the Digital Services Act.

Why does it matter?

The case represents one of the EU’s most significant attempts to regulate platform design rather than online content. If confirmed, it would establish an important precedent for how very large online platforms design recommender systems, engagement mechanisms and user interfaces under the Digital Services Act, particularly where children and vulnerable users are concerned.

More broadly, the case signals that European regulators are increasingly willing to scrutinise the business models underpinning social media platforms, not just the content they host. That could influence how digital platforms design engagement features well beyond the EU.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

Meta launches new AI glasses with Muse Spark assistant

Meta has launched a new generation of AI glasses in partnership with EssilorLuxottica, expanding its push to make wearable AI a mainstream consumer technology.

The new Meta Glasses build on the company’s existing AI eyewear portfolio and will launch with 26 styles across different colours, lenses and frames.

Meta said the glasses include hands-free photo and video capture, open-ear audio, voice control, calls and messaging, live translation and access to Meta AI. The company also said the device offers more than eight hours of battery life, with a charging case providing up to 40 additional hours.

The glasses are the first in Meta’s AI eyewear line to launch with Meta AI powered by Muse Spark from day one. Meta said the model, developed by Meta Superintelligence Labs, gives the assistant stronger multimodal capabilities, including a better understanding of what users are seeing.

The company said the assistant can answer questions, suggest local recommendations, support daily tasks and help users manage schedules hands-free. Meta is also adding features such as dynamic photo capture, pedestrian navigation for displayless glasses and live translation support for 14 additional languages.

The launch reflects growing competition in AI wearables, as technology companies seek new interfaces beyond smartphones. By combining AI assistance with everyday eyewear, Meta is trying to position smart glasses as a practical gateway to always-available AI services.

Why does it matter?

AI glasses move digital assistants closer to the physical world, giving AI systems access to what users see, hear and do throughout the day. That could make AI more useful for translation, navigation, accessibility and hands-free computing, but it also raises questions over privacy, bystander consent, data collection and dependence on platform-controlled AI assistants.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

Meta expands AI-powered teen safety protections across its platforms

Meta has announced new teen safety updates across Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger, including expanded age-appropriate content settings, AI-powered age detection, and new parental notification tools.

Meta said the updates are designed to ensure teens receive appropriate protections by default, give parents greater visibility into online activity and strengthen safeguards that support young people’s well-being.

Meta said its 13+ default content setting, recently introduced in India, is now rolling out globally across Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger. The setting is designed to limit exposure to age-inappropriate content by default, drawing on established content-rating principles and parent feedback.

On Facebook, the 13+ default setting is intended to hide content considered inappropriate for teens in areas such as Feed and Reels. It also limits teens’ ability to interact with Profiles, Pages, Groups, and Events that primarily post inappropriate content.

On Messenger, the 13+ default setting limits teens’ ability to view links to inappropriate Facebook content or chat with accounts that primarily share it.

Meta is also expanding its use of AI-powered age estimation systems to identify accounts that may belong to underage users. The company said the system analyses profile context, including birthday celebrations, school-grade mentions, posts, comments, bios, and captions, to assess whether an account is likely to belong to someone underage.

The company said it is adding visual analysis as another detection technique. According to Meta, the technology analyses photos and videos for general indicators associated with age, such as physical characteristics, but does not identify individuals and does not use facial recognition.

Meta said combining visual signals with text and interaction analysis could increase the number of underage accounts it identifies and removes. The technology will be expanded across additional parts of its apps, including Instagram Reels, Instagram Live, and Facebook Groups.

Instagram will also notify supervising parents if a teen repeatedly searches for terms related to suicide or self-harm within a short period, subject to supervision settings. Meta said the feature has been rolled out to supervising parents in the EU, Brazil, and India, with parents and teens receiving notifications that the alerts are on the way.

Parents using supervision can now manage their teens’ activity through Meta’s Family Center across Instagram, Meta Horizon, Facebook, and Messenger. Meta said parents will also be able to see a more holistic view of teen activity across its apps in the coming months, including aggregated time spent.

Why does it matter?

The announcement reflects a broader shift towards age-appropriate design, where platforms increasingly rely on default protections and automated systems rather than expecting young users or parents to configure safety settings themselves. AI-based age detection is becoming a central tool in efforts to identify underage users and enforce platform safeguards at scale.

The update also highlights ongoing debates about the balance between child protection, privacy and platform accountability. While automated age-estimation technologies may help improve online safety, regulators and civil society groups continue to scrutinise their accuracy, transparency and potential impact on users’ rights. As governments around the world consider stricter child online safety requirements, platform approaches such as Meta’s may influence future regulatory expectations.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech, and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

EU orders Meta to restore access for AI assistants

The European Commission has imposed interim measures requiring Meta to restore access to WhatsApp for rival general-purpose AI assistants while an EU antitrust investigation continues.

The measures require Meta to reinstate access to the WhatsApp Business Solution for third-party AI assistant providers under the same terms that applied before 15 October 2025. Meta must comply within five working days and maintain access until the Commission adopts a final decision.

The Commission opened the investigation in December 2025 after Meta changed the terms of its WhatsApp Business Solution to restrict AI providers from using the service when AI was the primary service offered. In February 2026, the Commission sent Meta a Statement of Objections setting out its preliminary view that the conduct could breach the EU antitrust rules.

According to the Commission, Meta appears at first sight to hold a dominant position in the EEA-wide market for consumer communication applications through WhatsApp. It also said Meta may have abused that position by preventing competing general-purpose AI assistants from accessing and interacting with users on WhatsApp.

Meta revised its policy in March 2026 to allow third-party AI assistants back onto WhatsApp, but introduced a fee that the Commission said was, at first sight, equivalent in practice to the previous ban. The Commission warned that the conduct could harm competition at a critical stage in the development of the market for general-purpose AI assistants.

The substantive investigation remains ongoing, and the interim measures do not prejudge the Commission’s final decision. The Commission said it may impose fines or daily penalty payments if Meta fails to comply.

Why does it matter?

The case shows how the EU competition enforcement is moving into the emerging market for general-purpose AI assistants. WhatsApp is not only a messaging service, but also a major access point for businesses and users. If dominant platforms can limit rival AI assistants’ access to such channels, competition in AI services could be shaped before the market fully matures. The interim measures also signal that the Commission is willing to act quickly where it believes platform conduct may create serious and irreparable harm to competition.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech, and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!

Diplo chatbot can make mistakes. Consider checking important information.