Meta Removes Ads Seeking Social Media Addiction Plaintiffs

Meta has removed advertisements from its platforms that were aimed at recruiting plaintiffs for lawsuits alleging social media addiction. According to BBC, the company stated it would not allow trial lawyers to profit from its platforms while simultaneously claiming they are harmful.

The move comes after Meta recently lost two significant lawsuits. As reported by Reuters, a Los Angeles jury found Meta and Google liable for $6 million in damages to a young woman who claimed addiction to Instagram and YouTube led to depression and suicidal thoughts. Additionally, a New Mexico jury ordered Meta to pay $375 million for misleading users about the safety of its platforms for children.

Meanwhile, Massachusetts' attorney general has been successful in pursuing a lawsuit against Meta, with the state's supreme judicial court ruling that the case can proceed. According to The Guardian, the lawsuit alleges that Meta deliberately designed features on Instagram to addict young users and misled consumers about the platform's safety.

Law firms such as Morgan & Morgan have been placing ads on Facebook and Instagram to recruit clients for these lawsuits, but Meta has now deactivated dozens of these ads. As reported by BBC, some ads remain active across various platforms owned by Meta. The company's advertising standards allow it to remove ads that negatively affect its relationship with users or promote content contrary to its interests.