Mark Zuckerberg\u2019s Meta built its apps to be addictive for kids and then lied to the public about health risks so it could rake in massive profits, a California prosecutor said as a historic federal trial kicked off Tuesday.<\/p>\n
A coalition of 29 state attorneys general are trying to force unprecedented changes to how Facebook and Instagram operate as part of the landmark case in Oakland, Calif. The trial could upend Meta\u2019s business model and result in up to $1.4 trillion in damages<\/a>, according to the company.<\/p>\n Meta\u2019s business model comes down to four simple \u201cH\u201d words, Megan O\u2019Neill of the California AG\u2019s office said in her opening statement, according to Bloomberg<\/a>: \u201cHook the user, hold them for as long as they can, harvest their data, and then hide the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n Megan O\u2019Neill, a deputy attorney general for California, makes opening statements before US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in this courtroom sketch on Tuesday in Oakland. REUTERS<\/p>\n \u201cThe young ones are the best ones \u2013 they are the ones most likely to get hooked, they\u2019re the ones that are most likely to make money in the long run,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n Meta, which earns the vast bulk of its revenue from digital advertising, is accused of violating federal law by harvesting kids\u2019 data without parental consent.<\/p>\n The states claim that certain core features of Facebook and Instagram, like the \u201clike button\u201d and recommendation algorithms, are intentionally addictive and have fueled a teen health crisis that includes anxiety, depression, self-harm and even suicide. <\/p>\n