- Meta faces charges by 29 US states for manipulating Facebook and Instagram to addict minors
- Kentucky AG calls the lawsuit the largest US consumer protection case against an internet giant
- States accuse Meta of creating addictive features while downplaying mental health risks to kids
US state attorneys general on Tuesday charged Meta with concealing truth and purposefully manipulating Facebook and Instagram to trap and addict minors for financial gain, when the trial commenced in Oakland, California.
Russell Coleman, the attorney general of Kentucky, referred to the legal dispute as "the largest consumer protection lawsuit in American history," pitting the internet behemoth against a group of US states.
State attorneys contended that Meta purposefully created addictive features while openly downplaying the risks to mental health.
Acting on behalf of a group of 29 states that filed a case in 2023 claiming the firm breached child privacy laws, the four US states—California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey—are suing Meta for billions of dollars.
ALSO READ: Meta Acts On Child Abuse Material As Flagged Content Reappears; Govt Flags Safe Harbour Risk
Megan O'Neill, Deputy Attorney General of California's Justice Department, while speaking during the trial, reportedly said that the following sums up Meta's business strategy: "Hook the users; hold them for as long as they can; harvest their data; hide the truth from the public when making public statements."
According to O'Neill, this "worked especially well for kids," adding that Meta created the platform so kids would return to it.
O'Neill claims that for Meta, kids are a "product" and the company monitors their behaviour to keep them "hooked" and sell them goods, BBC reported.
Meta told parents, social media users, and the US Congress that "Instagram and Facebook were safe for kids", O'Neill said, adding that the truth was "concealed throughout".
"This case is not about taking away Instagram", or whether social media has some benefits, he added.
"This case is about whether Meta misled the public about the risk to kids on its platforms, about whether Meta acted unfairly, and about whether Meta violated the Children's Online Privacy Protection [act]," she added.
According to O'Neill, the jury will witness how kids are lured to social media sites like Facebook and Instagram and how Meta "hooks them" with features that entice them to return.
Meta knew a lot about children's brains and how they are constantly seeking rewards and are so sensitive to social feedback, she reportedly added.
ALSO READ: Meta Stares Down Trillion-Dollar Threat As Landmark Social Media Trial Begins
O'Neill claims to have an internal document that she displayed on the screen, in which a Meta employee examined certain facets of the adolescent brain before discussing how Instagram might alter certain portions of the service.
According to the lawyer, Meta was aware of the consequences. She claims that its apps are addicting, and a physician will testify in court regarding the "alarming rise" in illnesses like depression caused by social media use.
Essential Business Intelligence, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice, Daily Fuel, Gold and Silver Prices and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.
