“Despicable.”

Dr Becky Foljambe’s response when LBC presenter Tom Swarbrick put to her one of the allegations now being heard in court: that Meta researched how children’s brains respond to online stimuli and tracked young people’s interactions on its platforms.

The scrutiny continues.

Instagram head Adam Mosseri is giving evidence in the landmark US trial brought by 29 states against Meta over allegations that Facebook and Instagram were deliberately designed to addict young users, while failing to adequately protect their safety and privacy. Meta denies the allegations.

For Health Professionals for Safer Screens, this case matters not simply because of the potential financial penalties for harms already done, but because of what could happen next.

As Becky told Tom on LBC:

“This is why this lawsuit is important. Because it’s not just seeking billions of dollars in damages for harms done already, but it’s demanding future changes to these platforms.”