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Meta researcher found US state AGs' addictive claims 'hard to refute,' jury hears

By Mike Swift and Madeline Hughes ( August 19, 2026, 23:52 GMT | Insight) -- In Tennessee’s addictive-design trial against Meta, jurors on Wednesday saw internal messages from a user experience researcher calling states' allegations "hard to refute" and comparing the company's strategy to that of tobacco firms. Child psychologist Parker Huston, an expert witness for the state, testified that features such as infinite scroll, autoplay and notifications contribute to addictive teen behavior. Evidence also showed Meta knew for years about sexual harassment in Instagram messages but did not introduce a nudity-filter feature until 2024.When more than 40 US state attorneys general sued Meta Platforms on addictive design claims in 2023, a senior Meta user experience researcher called the AGs' allegations "somewhat hard to refute" in an internal chat, a jury in Tennessee heard Wednesday....

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