The company indicated that it would block future litigation-related advertisements
Meta Platforms has pulled from Facebook and Instagram advertisements by trial lawyers and marketing companies promoting lawsuits against the company, reported the Wall Street Journal.
The purge began on April 9, with Meta clearing hundreds of advertisements targeting potential plaintiffs who can join lawsuits filed against the social media giant. The company indicated that it would block future litigation-related advertisements as well.
The move followed Meta’s unsuccessful turns in court of late – last month, a Los Angeles jury ruled that the company was liable in a suit claiming that social media was designed to actively spark addiction in young users.
“We’re actively defending ourselves against these lawsuits and are removing ads that attempt to recruit plaintiffs for them. We will not allow trial lawyers to profit from our platforms while simultaneously claiming they are harmful,” Meta said in a statement published by WSJ.
Plaintiffs firms typically take out advertising spots in television, on social media, and on billboards to highlight cases they seek to attract clients to. According to WSJ, social media in particular, with its wide reach, has been especially useful to trial lawyers in drawing plaintiffs for large-scale personal injury cases.
US-based personal-injury boutique Morgan & Morgan put out an advertisement that included a short quiz. It also released a confessional-style advertisement discussing lawsuits and eligibility criteria for inclusion in suits.
For the social media-related suits, qualified plaintiffs include anyone who used social media before they turned 18, were on platforms for at least three hours daily, and could list mental health concerns they experienced. Meta is set to face more trials this year, including one in Oakland federal court involving a school district’s allegation that social media platforms negatively impacted students.
In addition to Meta, YouTube, TikTok, and Snap have been named in numerous suits filed by individuals and school districts. According to WSJ, TikTok, Snap, and Google (YouTube’s owner) did not immediately respond to requests for comment; neither did trial attorneys for the plaintiffs.
