Meta hooked children on Facebook and Instagram, court hears

A court has heard claims Meta intentionally hooked a generation of children on Facebook and Instagram, as the biggest legal challenge the social media platform has faced began on Tuesday.

A jury in Oakland, California will spend the next six weeks wading through claims by top attorneys from several US states, and lawyers for the social media company, that at turns rebutted the other as the trial opened.

Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, says it “strongly disagrees” with the allegations.

The trial stems from a lawsuit filed in 2023 by 29 US states, including California and New York, in which they claim numerous violations of federal and state privacy laws for children.

Not only are the states seeking billions of dollars from Meta, they are demanding it make changes to Instagram and Facebook, including ending “like” counts and infinite scroll.

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