Meta on trial over danger on its social media platforms for children

Meta is once again on trial over dangers its platforms may pose to children. It is once again arguing that it works tirelessly to keep them safe.

A pivotal trial for the parent company of Instagram and Facebook kicked off in a California federal court Tuesday, with four states seeking billions of dollars in damages as well as fundamental changes to how Meta runs its platforms.

Attorneys general from California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey arriving at the courthouse in Oakland California.

They are seeking a financial penalty that could in theory, total as much as 1.4 trillion US-dollars plus changes to how the company operates Facebook and Instagram.

The lawsuit accuses the social media giant of contributing to the youth mental health crisis by knowingly and deliberately designing features that addict children to its platforms. It also argues that Meta routinely collects data on children under 13 without their parents' consent, in violation of federal law.

Rob Bont, California Attorney General said "We laid out our case today, which is essentially this, that Meta has designed and deployed dangerous product, a dangerous product, with dangerous features that they knew would create excessive use and compulsive use by children, and it would create mental health harms, including things like anxiety and depression, like body image, issues like addictive tendencies like learning loss. They knew all of that. They knew their product was dangerous and they lied to the public. They lied to Congress."

Outside the courthouse, people hold up a sign filled with names of young people. Lennon Torres of HEAT Initiative said

"Behind us justice is going to be served. The courtroom doors are open and it is time that the public see what the executives of Meta have

known all along. That their products are designed to addict and harm children."

Julianna Arnold, a survivor parent said "Coco was 12 when she opened Instagram for the first time in 2017 four year before the world learned what Meta already knew. Instagram was harming teenage girls. By her teens she could not look away. The scrolling became depression, the anxiety she could not escape."

The trial is expected to last six to eight weeks, and CEO Mark Zuckerberg is expected to testify. Meta says it has a strong case of protecting teens.

This case is the latest in a flood of lawsuits targeting Meta and other social media companies over child protection. Earlier this month a

New Mexico court ordered Meta to pay 569 million dollars to address harm to young people as part of a trial there.