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Judge Bans AI Glasses, Orders Deletion of Any Recordings in Meta Youth-Harm Trial

A strict order on AI glasses underscores juror safety concerns in a bellwether case testing design-based liability for youth harms.

Overview

  • Judge Carolyn B. Kuhl told anyone wearing Ray‑Ban Meta AI glasses in court to remove them, delete any recordings, and face contempt if they failed to comply, while forbidding any facial recognition of jurors.
  • Members of Mark Zuckerberg’s entourage were seen wearing the camera‑equipped glasses as he arrived at the Los Angeles courthouse, though it remains unclear whether any footage was captured and Meta did not immediately comment.
  • Court rules in Los Angeles generally prohibit recording devices, and the judge’s admonition highlighted privacy risks posed by wearable cameras that can produce video later run through facial‑recognition tools.
  • Zuckerberg testified that he cares about teen wellbeing, defended Instagram’s under‑13 ban, acknowledged enforcement challenges with users lying about age, and rejected claims that Meta targets children or designs for addiction.
  • Plaintiffs presented internal emails on teen engagement and tweens, cited the reversal of a beauty‑filter ban as “paternalistic,” and noted that TikTok and Snap settled ahead of trial, leaving Meta and YouTube as defendants in a case with potential implications for Section 230 and industry practices.