A landmark trial against Meta Platforms Inc. began in California on Tuesday, with four US states accusing the tech giant of deliberately designing Facebook and Instagram to be addictive for children. The states of California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey argue that Meta misled the public about the safety of its apps and violated privacy laws by collecting data on minors under 13 without parental consent.

The plaintiffs are seeking approximately $200 billion (€173 billion) in damages and significant changes to Meta's core platforms. The case is part of a broader coalition of 29 states that sued the company in 2023 over allegedly addictive features.

Opening statements took place in federal court in Oakland, with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg expected to testify. Former Meta employee and expert witness Arturo Bejar is also slated to appear, despite the company's efforts to block him. Court documents indicate lawyers will question him for three hours about Meta's safety practices and whether the company misrepresented its knowledge.

Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman described the case as "the largest consumer protection lawsuit in American history," stating that Meta concealed what it knew about the harm to young people because "looking away was more profitable." Meta, however, strongly denies the allegations, saying it is proud of its record in protecting teens and looks forward to presenting the facts in court.

The trial is expected to last six to eight weeks, with a verdict anticipated by October. An advisory jury of eight people is seated, but the final decision rests with Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers.

Source: www.dw.com