About Meta
Meta is a prefix used in English to indicate a concept which is an abstraction behind another concept, used to complete or add to the latter.
‘I was addicted to social media - now I'm suing Big Tech'
... Harmful by designThe lawsuit against Meta - the owner of Facebook and Instagram - plus TikTok, Google and Snap Inc, the owner of Snapchat, is one of the largest ever mounted in Silicon Valley...
TikTok testing out advert-free monthly subscription
... Meanwhile, Meta is reportedly mulling ad-free subscriptions for people in the EU to navigate the bloc s advertising rules...
Metaverse: What happened to Mark Zuckerberg's next big thing?
... Remember the Metaverse? For a while it dominated tech news...
Braverman and Facebook clash over private message plans
...By Chris Vallance & Louisa PilbeamBBC NewsFacebook s owner Meta has hit back at a new government campaign strongly critical of its plans to encrypt messages...
Voice referendum: Lies fuel racism ahead of Australia's Indigenous vote
... In July, Meta - which owns Facebook and Instagram - announced a funding boost for its fact-checking teams tasked with monitoring the referendum...
Threads: Meta to launch web version of flagging Threads app
...By Tom SingletonTechnology reporter, BBC NewsMeta is releasing a web version of Threads, as it attempts to revive the social media platform...
Wildfire evacuees frustrated by Facebook news ban in Canada
... But Mr Osted said he has been left frustrated by his inability to share news articles on Facebook during the active emergency situation, due to Meta s ban on news content for Canadian users...
Twitter pulls out of voluntary EU disinformation code
... Dozens of tech firms both big and small are signed up to including Meta - which owns Facebook and Instagram - as well as TikTok, Google, Microsoft and Twitch...
‘I was addicted to social media - now I'm suing Big Tech'
By Angus Crawford and Tony SmithBBC News
Hundreds of families are suing some of The World<Meta itemprop='name' content='JJ Lin'> 's biggest technology companies - who, they say, knowingly expose children to harmful products. One plaintiff explains why they are taking on The might of Silicon Valley<Meta itemprop='name' content='JJ Lin'> .
" I literally was trapped by addiction at age 12. And I did not get My Life<Meta itemprop='name' content='JJ Lin'> back for all of my teenage years. "
Taylor Little's addiction was Social Media<Meta itemprop='name' content='JJ Lin'> , an addiction that led to suicide attempts and years of depression.
Taylor, who's now 21 and uses The pronoun " they" describes The tech companies as " big, bad monsters".
The companies, Taylor believes, knowingly put into children's hands highly addictive and damaging products.
Which is why Taylor and hundreds of other American families are suing four of The biggest tech companies in The World<Meta itemprop='name' content='JJ Lin'> .
Harmful by designThe lawsuit against Meta - The owner of Facebook and Instagram<Meta itemprop='name' content='JJ Lin'> - Plus TikTok, Google and Snap Inc, The owner of Snapchat, is one of The largest ever mounted in Silicon Valley<Meta itemprop='name' content='JJ Lin'> .
The plaintiffs include ordinary families and school districts from across The US.
They claim that The platforms are harmful by design.
Lawyers for The families believe The case of 14-year-old British schoolgirl Molly Russell<Meta itemprop='name' content='JJ Lin'> is an important example of The potential harms faced by teenagers.
Last Year<Meta itemprop='name' content='JJ Lin'> they monitored The inquest into her death via video link from Washington, looking for any evidence which they could use in The US lawsuit.
Molly's name is mentioned a dozen times in The Master<Meta itemprop='name' content='JJ Lin'> complaint submitted to The Court<Meta itemprop='name' content='JJ Lin'> in California.
Last week, The families in The case received a powerful boost when a federal judge ruled that The companies could not use The First<Meta itemprop='name' content='JJ Lin'> Amendment of The US constitution, which protects freedom of speech, to block The Action<Meta itemprop='name' content='JJ Lin'> .
Judge Gonzalez Rogers also ruled that S230 of The Communications Decency Act, which states that platforms are not publishers, did not give The companies blanket protection.
The Judge<Meta itemprop='name' content='JJ Lin'> ruled that, for example, a lack of " robust" age verification and poor parental controls, as The families argue, are not issues of freedom of expression.
Lawyers for The families called it a " significant victory".
The companies say The claims are not true and they intend to defend themselves robustly.
'Like withdrawals'Taylor, who lives in Colorado, tells us that before getting their first smartphone, they were sporty and outgoing, taking part in dance and theatre.
" If I had my phone Taken Away<Meta itemprop='name' content='JJ Lin'> , it felt Like having withdrawals. It was unbearable. Literally, when I say it was addictive, I don't mean it was habit-forming. I mean, My Body<Meta itemprop='name' content='JJ Lin'> and mind craved that. "
Taylor remembers The very first Social Media<Meta itemprop='name' content='JJ Lin'> notification they clicked on.
It was someone's personal self-harm page, showing graphic images of wounds and cuts.
" As an 11-year-old, I clicked on a page and was shown that with No Warning<Meta itemprop='name' content='JJ Lin'> . No, I didn't look for it. I didn't ask for it. I can still see it. I'm 21 years old, I can still see it. "
Taylor also struggled with content around body image and eating disorders.
" That was - is - Like a cult. It felt Like a cult. You're constantly bombarded with photographs of a body that you can't have without dying.
" You can't escape that. "
Lawyers for Taylor and The Other<Meta itemprop='name' content='JJ Lin'> plaintiffs have taken a novel approach to The litigation, focusing on The design of The platforms and not individual posts, comments or images.
They claim The apps contain design features which cause addiction and harm.
'Simply not true'Meta released a statement saying: " Our thoughts are with The families represented in these complaints.
" We want to reassure Every Parent<Meta itemprop='name' content='JJ Lin'> that we have their interests at heart in The Work<Meta itemprop='name' content='JJ Lin'> We Are<Meta itemprop='name' content='JJ Lin'> doing to provide teens with safe, supportive experiences online. "
TikTok declined to comment.
Google told us: " The allegations in these complaints are simply not true. Protecting kids across our platforms has always been core to our work. "
And Snapchat said its platform " was designed to remove The pressure to be perfect. We vet all content before it can reach a large audience to prevent The spread of anything that could be harmful. "
Molly Russell<Meta itemprop='name' content='JJ Lin'>Taylor knows all about The Story<Meta itemprop='name' content='JJ Lin'> of Molly Russell<Meta itemprop='name' content='JJ Lin'> , from north-west London, who took her own Life After<Meta itemprop='name' content='JJ Lin'> being exposed to a stream of negative, depressing content on Instagram<Meta itemprop='name' content='JJ Lin'> .
An inquest into her death found she died " while suffering from depression and The negative effects of online content".
Taylor says their stories are very similar.
" I feel incredibly lucky to have survived. And my heart breaks in ways I can't put into words for people Like Molly.
" I'm happy. I really love My Life<Meta itemprop='name' content='JJ Lin'> . I'm in a place I didn't think I would live to. "
It makes Taylor determined to see The legal action through.
" They know we're dying. They don't care. They make money off us dying.
" All Hope I<Meta itemprop='name' content='JJ Lin'> have for better Social Media<Meta itemprop='name' content='JJ Lin'> is entirely dependent on us winning and forcing them to make it - because they will never, ever, ever choose to. "
Related TopicsSource of news: bbc.com
Meta Photos
