Opening statements began this week in a federal courtroom in Oakland, California, and the accusation on the table is blunt. A lawyer for four state attorneys general told the judge Meta’s business model comes down to four words: hook, hold, harvest, hide. I’ve raised three boys through the smartphone era, and I’ve spent years coaching high school athletes. I didn’t need a courtroom to tell me something was wrong. I’ve watched it happen on the practice field.

I’m a First Amendment guy. I believe in the marketplace of ideas, and I’m allergic to anyone who wants to regulate speech because it hurts their feelings. But there’s a difference between protecting speech and protecting a business model built to exploit a brain that hasn’t finished forming. A 14-year-old’s prefrontal cortex isn’t done wiring the circuits that handle impulse control and risk assessment. Feed those brains an algorithm engineered to maximize time on screen, and you’re not exercising free expression. You’re running a casino with a child’s allowance.

From TikToks to think tanks: How Tehran hacked Western minds

Hooking children isn’t free speech. Meta is running a casino in your child’s pocket

We gave........

© Washington Examiner