Meta's trial against a coalition of U.S. states begins

Meta is on trial in California, facing accusations from a coalition of U.S. state attorneys general who claim the tech giant concealed the dangers of its platforms, Instagram and Facebook, for adolescent users. The lawsuit alleges that Meta intentionally designed its applications to maximize user engagement, contributing to psychological harm among young people.

The trial began with the selection of eight jurors. While substantive arguments have not yet commenced, opening statements are anticipated on August 18, with proceedings expected to continue until the end of September. This case follows two significant legal setbacks for Meta this year concerning the impact of its platforms on minors. The company was ordered to pay $6 million alongside YouTube in a Los Angeles case and nearly $1 billion in fines and reparations in New Mexico.

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This really resembles the tobacco industry trials of the 1990s.

During jury selection, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers questioned potential jurors about their social media usage, their children's accounts, and their perceptions of Mark Zuckerberg. Some candidates were asked about their own early social media use, including whether they joined before age 13 without parental consent and if they experienced psychological distress as a result. One potential juror likened the dopamine rush from scrolling through anxiety-inducing content to cocaine, while another felt the apps were designed to "extract value" from users.

Legal experts draw parallels between this trial and the tobacco industry lawsuits of the 1990s. "This really resembles" the tobacco industry trials, Vincent Joralemon, a legal scholar at UC Berkeley's Center for Law and Technology, told AFP. He noted that, similar to how lawsuits led to record payouts and advertising restrictions for tobacco companies, the current case targets the commercial practices of social media platforms. The attorneys general from California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey are leading the charge for the 29 states suing Meta since 2023. They are seeking substantial modifications to Instagram and Facebook's operations for minors and are demanding penalties up to $1.4 trillion, a figure close to Meta's market capitalization. However, the judge has previously deemed this amount "unreasonable," while Meta's proposed $4 million penalty was called "not even a slap on the wrist."

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extract value