Meta is staring down what legal experts are calling ‘astronomical’ consequences as a federal trial over child safety allegations reaches a critical juncture in California. The case, brought by state attorneys general, could force sweeping changes to how Facebook and Instagram operate while potentially hitting the social media giant with penalties that dwarf previous tech...Read More

Oakland, Calif. (AP) — Opening arguments are set to kick off Tuesday in a pivotal trial for Meta Platforms in a California federal court. Attorneys general from California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey are seeking extensive financial damages plus changes to how the company operates Facebook and Instagram. Twenty-nine states sued the tech giant in...Read More

Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting...Read More

New Mexico Court, USA: In a two-phase proceeding involving consumer protection and public nuisance claims against Meta Platforms, Inc., Bryan Biedscheid, Chief District Judge, considered whether Meta’s operation of Facebook and Instagram contributed to a state-wide youth mental health crisis and created a public nuisance under New Mexico law. The Court held that Meta’s platforms...Read More

The Tell Someone: Child Safety Small Grants Program provides funding for Tasmanian community organisations to develop projects that prevent child sexual abuse, grooming, and harmful sexual behaviours while strengthening child-safe practices. The programme offers grants from $500 to $10,000 (GST exclusive) to support organisations at different stages of their child safety development journey. Eligible applicants...Read More

Among the thousands of legal claims Meta faces over child safety across its platforms, none may prove more consequential than one going to trial in California this week. The lawsuit accuses the social media giant of contributing to a youth mental health crisis by knowingly and deliberately designing features to hook children on its platforms....Read More

Meta is set to face attorneys general from four US states in an Oakland, California, courtroom on Tuesday in a closely watched case alleging that the company violated child safety and consumer protection laws and contributed to harm to children’s mental health, according to media reports. The trial, before US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers...Read More

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, is seen in the U.S. Capitol after a meeting in the office of Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., March 26, 2026. Tom Williams | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images If New Mexico created the blueprint for taking on Meta, California could determine the company’s fate when it comes...Read More

Roblox has previously come under fire for failing to protect its users, especially its underage users, from predatory users, following which, the platform introduced new safety measures and added age verification for chats, supposedly in an effort to separate adult and underage users. Now, Roblox has once again drawn scrutiny, this time from the US...Read More

New Mexico’s attorney general is mounting a full-court press against technology companies to improve their child safety measures, capitalizing on a landmark win in court against Meta earlier this year. Raúl Torrez is working with state lawmakers to draft two new bills he says will strengthen consumer protections and child safety online. The legislation, expected...Read More