A COURT case that opened in California yesterday puts 29 US states against tech giant Meta, owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.

The states are demanding billions of dollars in fines for Meta and changes to its algorithms, arguing the company’s own research showed its products were addictive and harmful to children’s mental health but that it sought to market them to minors anyway.

A lawyer for California, Megan O’Neill, said the company’s business model was to “hook the users; hold them for as long as they can; harvest their data; hide the truth from the public when making public statements.”

Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman said “We’ll show a jury that Meta concealed what it knew about the harm its products cause young people because looking away was more profitable.”

Meta denies the allegation and says its internal research is misrepresented and its products are not addictive.