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The trial, which is expected to last several weeks, began in a US federal court in California before District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers. While there is an eight-person jury, the group is serving in an advisory role as Judge Rogers will ultimately decide the case.
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Megan O’Neill, a deputy California attorney general, in her opening statement said that the company designed its products to “hook the users, hold them for as long as they can, harvest their data, and then hide the truth from the public”.
She added that it worked “especially well for kids”.
The lawsuit, which was first filed in 2023, alleges that Meta made decisions to design its apps to hook users and facilitate excessive use among the platforms’ youngest users.
The coalition also alleges that the company collected data on children under the age of 13 in violation of federal law.
Meta has long pushed back on allegations against the Silicon Valley social media behemoth.
Meta has acknowledged that the lawsuits it faces, including those related to youth social media addiction, could lead to “substantial monetary damages or fines” in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing in January.
Meta, along with other social media giants, has faced a growing slate of cases across the United States, including from cities, states, school districts and even individuals.
The coalition of states is asking Meta to make changes to its platforms, including introducing new age restrictions and cutting the infinite scroll.
The case’s impetus came from a US Senate committee hearing in 2021, when whistleblower Frances Haugen, a former data scientist at Facebook, claimed that the company knowingly pushed products that could impact the health of young users as the Mark Zuckerberg-led company pursued higher profits.
Meta has repeatedly tried to end the coalition lawsuit, including in 2024 and as recently as June, when it sought summary judgement – a decision that a court might make without going to trial – which would have ended the lawsuit.
The case is impacting the company’s stock. On Wall Street, the social media giant is down more than 3 percent in midday trading.
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Informação baseada em material público de Al Jazeera, reescrito pela redação ULTRA NOTÍCIAS.
