Meta goes on trial over social media addiction and child privacy claims

A federal jury trial kicked off this week in Oakland, California, that could reshape how social media companies interact with their youngest users. Meta Platforms is facing allegations from four states that its platforms, Facebook and Instagram, were engineered to be addictive for children while the company quietly buried evidence of the mental health damage they caused. The states of California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey are seeking up to $1.4 trillion in penalties. For context, Meta’s entire market capitalization sits at roughly $1.5 trillion. What the states are arguing The trial is expected to last four to six weeks. The states’ attorneys general say Meta knowingly built products that harmed kids. Their case focuses on specific design choices, things like infinite scroll and recommendation algorithms, that they argue were deliberately calibrated to maximize engagement and advertising revenue at the expense of user wellbeing. A core legal thread involves the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, known as COPPA. The states allege Meta collected data on users under 13 without obtaining parental consent, a direct violation of the law. COPPA has been on the book...