The trial in Oakland, which is expected to last six weeks, pits 29 US states against the two social media platforms’ owner, Meta. Four states – California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey – are running the jury case on behalf of the rest.
Internal documents cited in the lawsuit allege Meta studied adolescent brain development and tailored its products to maximise the length of time users spent on platforms.
The states jointly claim Meta violated this law by harvesting the personal data of children under age 13 without verifiable parental consent. California Attorney General Rob Bonta and other state lawyers told the presiding judge that while Meta’s warned potential damages in the case could reach US$1.4 trillion, a more likely and realistic figure totals roughly US$200 billion. The third claim in the case relates to systematic violations of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. In addition to financial penalties, the states are also seeking court-ordered product redesigns. If the jury finds in favour of the states, any court order as to the redesign of Meta’s platforms may have a global impact.
