\u201cMeta\u2019s business model worked especially well for kids,\u201d said Megan O\u2019Neill, a lawyer for the state of California<\/a>.<\/p>\n Her accusation opened the blockbuster trial<\/a> against the US tech company on Tuesday in Oakland, California, just north of Meta\u2019s headquarters in Silicon Valley. California has joined 28 other US states in suing the \u00a31tn ($1.36tn) company for allegedly designing addictive products that lead to children being harmed.<\/p>\n Lennon Torres of Heat Initiative holds a banner with the names of young people who died as a result of social media outside the Ronald V Dellums federal building on 18 August. Photograph: Noah Berger\/AP<\/p>\n Eight jurors heard from O\u2019Neill and attorneys for Meta this week, along with testimony from former employees and a psychologist. The lawsuit centers on allegations that the company violated US federal child privacy laws and state-level consumer protection laws by collecting data on children under the age of 13 without parental permission. Over the course of the trial, the jury is additionally expected to hear from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg<\/a> and Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri.<\/p>\n The threat to Meta is existential. If the company is found liable, damages could be as high as $200bn \u2013 an amount equivalent to the company\u2019s 2025 annual revenue. The states are also asking that Meta be forced to change the design of its products to make them safer for children, which could have permanent effects on the company\u2019s business model and how its social media platforms operate.<\/p>\n Meta has denied all allegations. Liza Crenshaw, a spokesperson for the company, said: \u201cRather than sticking to the facts or the law, the states have instead decided to chase an outlandish payout.\u201d<\/p>\n During opening statements, Paul Schmidt, an attorney for Meta, said there is \u201cno dispute\u201d people can struggle with social media, but that Meta had \u201ccome up with tools to try and address that\u201d. He added the company does not allow children under the age of 13 to register for accounts on its social networks and that it had disabled more than 1m accounts of those young users.<\/p>\n Paul Schmidt, lead attorney for Meta, leaves the courthouse as Meta is on trial over social media addiction in Oakland on 19 August. Photograph: Karl Mondon\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n The trial is expected to last six to eight weeks. The proceedings will be led by attorneys for the states of California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey. The jury\u2019s role is advisory, which means they will give recommendations to the presiding judge, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who will make the final decision on the verdict and damages.<\/p>\n Meta faces thousands of similar US lawsuits brought by families, school districts and other attorneys general. The company lost the first two of those cases to go to trial in March. In the first, the company was ordered to pay nearly $1bn<\/a> to the state of New Mexico for allowing child sexual exploitation on its platforms; and in the second, it was found liable for deliberately designing addictive products that hooked one young woman<\/a> and was ordered to pay her more than $4m.<\/p>\n
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