Govind TekaleA federal jury in Oakland began hearing arguments Tuesday in a landmark lawsuit brought by 29 US states against Meta Platforms. The states allege the company intentionally designed Facebook and Instagram to addict children and violated federal and state privacy laws.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta and New York Attorney General Letitia James lead the coalition. The suit was filed in 2023. The trial is expected to last six weeks.
Megan O’Neill, lead attorney for California, told the jury Meta’s internal research found “millions” of 11- and 12-year-olds on Instagram. She said the company “did little to keep them off.” Meta’s attorney, Paul Schmidt, put the number at just over 100,000.
Internal documents entered as evidence showed Meta researchers wrote: “Teens have an addict’s narrative about use.” Another document stated: “Product features designed to increase time spent are inherently at odds with well-being and take away from people’s ability to focus on activity that adds value to their lives.”
O’Neill summarised Meta’s business model for the jury: “Hook the users; hold them for as long as they can; harvest their data; hide the truth from the public when making public statements.”
A Meta document shown in court said one in five teens says Instagram makes them feel worse. Schmidt countered that 41 percent said it made them feel better and 41 percent said it had no effect.
Meta argues that social media addiction does not exist as a clinical diagnosis. Schmidt said privacy laws, including the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), prevented the company from saving data needed to verify user ages effectively.
The states seek billions of dollars in damages. They also demand structural changes: ending “like” counts and infinite scroll on Instagram and Facebook.
Evidence includes internal research, employee emails, and chat logs reaching Mark Zuckerberg. Schmidt cited past public statements from Zuckerberg and Instagram head Adam Mosseri denying the platforms were designed to be addictive.
The legal claims rest on COPPA, which bars collecting personal information from children under 13 without parental consent. California’s CCPA and CPRA, New York’s SHIELD Act, and state consumer protection laws are also cited.
Meta has existing safety tools. Family Center allows parental supervision. “Take a Break” reminders and “Quiet Mode” pause notifications. Default accounts for users under 16 are private. Age verification tests include video selfies, ID uploads, and social vouching.
International regulation has moved faster. The UK’s Online Safety Act 2023 imposes a duty of care and requires risk assessments for children. The EU’s Digital Services Act requires very large platforms to mitigate systemic risks to minors. Australia has proposed a social media age ban of 16-plus.
The US Surgeon General issued an advisory in 2023 on social media and youth mental health. It found causal evidence insufficient but associations strong. It recommended safety standards and algorithmic transparency.
CDC data indicate increases in persistent sadness, hopelessness, and suicidal ideation among teens from 2011 to 2023. Researchers including Jean Twenge and Jonathan Haidt link the trends to social media adoption.
Specific features identified in research as “hook” mechanisms include infinite scroll, push notifications, like counts, algorithmic recommendations, streaks, and autoplay.
Meta has paid major settlements before: $5 billion to the FTC in 2019, $1.4 billion to Texas in 2022 for biometric data, and $650 million in Illinois under biometric privacy law in 2023.
Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who also presided over Epic v. Apple, is overseeing the trial. Expected witnesses may include former Meta employees, psychologists, and data scientists.
Remedies under discussion include algorithmic transparency reports, mandatory age verification, chronological feed options, notification defaults, independent audits, and financial penalties.
Frances Haugen’s 2021 disclosures revealed internal research showing Instagram worsened body image for one in three teen girls. That evidence set precedent for the current trial.
A previous karmactive article covered the same lawsuit filing in August 2026.
