Twenty-nine US states are seeking huge damages, claiming Meta’s platforms were addictive by design

In 1994, more than 40 US states came together to sue one of the most powerful industries on Earth: big tobacco.

The suits brought together diverse claims centred on tobacco companies’ misleading advertising and contribution to a mounting public health crisis. They ended in a negotiated settlement with the US government, in which the companies agreed to pay more than any industry ever, and the states agreed to drop a large portion of their claims.

Thirty years later, smoking is on the rise in the developing world, the companies involved remain profitable and the global tobacco market is worth nearly $1tn.

On Tuesday a major trial against Meta began, in which 29 states have brought the claim that the parent of Facebook and Instagram designed a deliberately addictive product and targeted it at children.