In his long political career, Democratic governor hopeful Xavier Becerra has occasionally taken aim at Meta — but not nearly enough, say the devastated parents of teens who died after falling victim to social media addiction.
Those parents are now saying Becerra can’t be trusted after Meta, which was found liable for hurting kids with deliberately addictive features at a landmark trial this year, poured nearly $1 million into an independent PAC supporting his bid for governor.
“Why is he going to align himself with a company proven in a court of law to have hurt kids, profited off of it, and then lied about it?” said Julianna Arnold, a grieving mother turned parent activist.
Arnold’s 17-year-old daughter, Coco, died after she met an older man on Instagram who “groomed” her and gave her a pill she believed was Percocet to relieve her anxiety.
She died of fentanyl poisoning.
Like countless other kids, Coco had been sucked in by the photo-sharing app’s addictive features — deliberately designed by Meta to keep users hooked, advocates say.
“It’s really disappointing,” Arnold said.
“I understand that California is home to Big Tech, but it’s a little shocking that [Becerra] would take $1 million from Meta when in August his own state will be suing them on behalf of children.”
Meta was held liable in a Los Angeles jury trial in March for negligent platform design, including autoplay and “infinite scroll” features, that wrecked a young woman’s mental health starting when she was a teen.
In a related case in New Mexico, Meta was found liable under state claims related to risks of Instagram use and hit with a civil penalty of $375 million. Meta is appealing both verdicts.
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In a statement, Becerra’s campaign spokesperson Jonathan Underland said he has “no control or influence over donations to independent expenditures,” which are barred from coordinating with candidates.
But social media survivors say the hefty donation is symptomatic of a broken system in which companies believe they can ward off regulations with big checks.
VIctoria Hinks, a Bay Area mom, said she watched her “happy, joyful, kind and beautiful” 16-year-old daughter Alexandra become depressed and withdrawn after spending time on social media, despite she and her software engineer husband’s diligent attempts to monitor tech use in the home.
Hinks said her kind and empathetic daughter, who would be graduating high school this month, was bombarded with disturbing content that “normalized” eating disorders and suicide as a solution to life’s problems.
She died by suicide in 2024.
“Kids are dying. This is an epidemic,” Hinks said in an interview. “Every other industry has regulations … my daughter couldn’t even get into an R-rated movie at the theater she worked at.”
Hinks and Arnold are now part of Parents RISE!, a parent-led group demanding stricter regulation of social media and AI tools.
Hinks called the $1 million Meta donation “politics at its worst” that indicates the controversial firm believes Becerra will be “soft on Big Tech.”
“They’re betting he’s going to have Zuckerberg’s back and not ours,” she said.
Becerra’s campaign pointed to a multistate antitrust action over Facebook’s acquisition of Instagram and WhatsApp, carried out when he was California attorney general, as evidence of his independence.
The former Health and Human Services secretary also called on Meta to combat “hate and disinformation” during the Covid pandemic in a letter, though it’s not immediately clear what came of the demand.
“Xavier Becerra has never been bought by a check, and his record proves it,” Underland said.
“Anyone who threatens Californians’ safety or quality of life will answer for it,” he continued.
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But Arnold and Hinks say now isn’t the time for business as usual — as artificial intelligence tools threaten to turbo-charge young kids’ reliance on tech that can warp their minds.
“We need a governor who isn’t afraid to speak truth to power, and [Becerra] is going to be beholden to them if they’re giving him that much money,” Hinks said.
Arnold said she won’t rest until politicians understand that you can side with Big Tech or parents — but not both.
“It’s out job to call this out and keep on fighting,” she said.
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