Meta targeted kids to boost Instagram, Facebook use, lawyer says as landmark trial begins

Oakland — Meta Platforms deliberately sought to addict children to its Facebook and Instagram platforms, claimed a lawyer for California at the beginning of a landmark trial that could alter the course of some of the most popular apps globally. A coalition of 29 U.S. states is suing Meta, seeking potentially billions of dollars in penalties and changes to the company's business practices.

Four lead states - California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey - allege Meta designed Facebook and Instagram to trap young users, contributing to anxiety, depression, and even suicide, while deceiving consumers about the platforms' safety. Jurors will hear allegations from all 29 states that Meta violated federal law by improperly gathering and utilizing personal data from children while they utilized its platforms.

Megan O'Neill, a deputy attorney general for California, informed the eight-person jury in Oakland, California, that Meta's business strategy was to "hook the users, keep them for as long as possible, harvest their data, and then conceal the truth from the public." She continued, "It worked especially well for kids."