Meta trial over Facebook, Instagram’s impact on young users begins in US court

A coalition of states suing Meta Platforms over claims Facebook and Instagram were designed in ways that harmed young users’ mental health began making its case on Tuesday in California federal court, in a trial that could reshape some of the most popular apps on the planet.

Megan O’Neill, a deputy California attorney general, told the eight-person jury in Oakland, California, that Meta’s business model was to “hook the users, hold them for as long as they can, harvest their data, and then hide the truth from the public.” “It worked especially well for kids,” she added.