Meta youth safety trial kicks off in California

The latest kids online safety trial against Meta kicked off Wednesday in a California federal court, where the technology giant is accused of designing its platforms to be addictive for young users.

Jury selection began Wednesday morning in the U.S. District Court in Oakland, Calif. for the case, which consolidates lawsuits from attorneys general across the country.

The lawsuit, filed in 2023, alleges the Facebook and Instagram parent company designed and implemented harmful features that encourage “excessive use” in kids and teens. It also accuses Meta of misleading the public about the mental and physical health risks and routinely collecting the data of users under 13 without parental consent.

“Meta has harnessed powerful and unprecedented technologies to entice, engage and ultimately ensnare youth and teens,” the complaint stated.

“It has concealed the ways in which these platforms exploit and manipulate its most vulnerable consumers: teenagers and children. And it has ignored the sweeping damage these platforms have caused to the mental and physical health of our nation’s youth,” it added.

The complaint was originally filed by 29 states, but this month’s trial will only cover........

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