META FACES LARGEST US CHILD PRIVACY TRIAL AS 29 STATES SEEK DAMAGES

A jury in Oakland, California began hearing opening arguments on Tuesday in what attorneys describe as the largest consumer protection lawsuit in American history against Meta. Twenty-nine US states, including California, New York, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey, claim the company deliberately designed Facebook and Instagram to addict children and violated federal and state privacy laws. The states are seeking billions of dollars in damages and demanding operational changes to both platforms, including the removal of "like" counts and infinite scroll features. The trial is expected to last six to eight weeks.

During opening statements, the states' attorneys claimed Meta found "millions" of children aged 11 and 12 on Instagram and took minimal action to remove them, whilst an internal company document stated that "1 in 5 teens says Instagram makes them feel worse". Meta's legal representatives disputed the figure of millions, stating just over 100,000 such users were identified, and argued that social media addiction does not exist. The states also contend that Meta collected data on children under 13 without parental consent, in violation of federal law. Meta said it is proud of its record protecting teenagers and looks forward to presenting evidence of its efforts to the court.

U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers will oversee the proceedings. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other executives and former employees are expected to testify. According to the states' legal representatives, Meta concealed what it knew about harm to young people because "looking away was more profitable". Meta has stated it believes it has a strong case and will demonstrate to the jury the protections it developed for teenagers on its platforms.