Meta meets its own 'tobacco' moment in court

A security guard stands watch by the Meta sign outside the headquarters of Facebook parent company Meta Platforms Inc in Mountain View, California, US, on Nov 9, 2022. (File photo: Reuters/Peter DaSilva) 12 Aug 2026 01:54PM OAKLAND: With billions of users around the world, Meta will defend itself against allegations of harming children in a new trial in the United States this week, which experts describe as social media's big tobacco moment.After a coalition of states sued Meta in 2023 for allegedly designing addictive features for kids in its apps, four states were selected to represent their claims: California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey.Top prosecutors of those states now aim to prove in federal court that Meta deliberately made Facebook and Instagram addictive for children.Meta