A bipartisan group of 29 US states started their case against Meta Platforms in a California federal court on Tuesday (Wednesday AEST).

Opening statements were released today where the major American tech giant is on trial for alleged social media harms to children.

The group argues that their apps, Facebook and Instagram, have been developed in ways that adversely affects young people’s mental health.

The four lead states involved, California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey, are seeking potentially hundreds of billions of dollars in damages, though it could total as much as $US1.4 trillion ($1.97 trillion). They also intend to alter how Meta operates their social media platforms.

Deputy attorney general for California Megan O’Neill laid out the state’s case for the eight-person jury during her preliminary statement at the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and Courthouse in Oakland. O’Neill said that Meta’s business model was to “hook the users, hold them for as long as they can, harvest their data, and then hide the truth from the public”.

Meta Founder Mark Zuckerberg and Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri are expected to testify and the trial is scheduled to last six weeks.

Photo: by Alpha Photo found HERE and is used under a Creative Commons License. This image has been cropped.