A coalition of states is headed to federal court in Oakland, California, this week in what could be one of the most consequential legal fights yet over whether Meta's platform design harms young users. Dozens of states filed the lawsuit three years ago, and the trial pits four of them, California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey, against the social media giant, with the other 25 states expected to have trials later.
The lawsuit accuses Meta of knowingly and deliberately designing features on Facebook and Instagram that get children addicted to its platforms and that contribute to the youth mental health crisis. States are seeking extensive financial damages that could, in theory, total as much as $1.4 trillion, plus court-ordered changes to how the company operates Facebook and Instagram.
The case reaches beyond the argument that social media can simply be harmful. The states are trying to prove the potential harm was not an unintended side effect of popular networks, pointing to Meta's own internal research that they say showed links between platform use and anxiety, depression, insomnia, and educational disruption.
These remain allegations being litigated at trial, not findings that Meta is legally responsible for those outcomes.
The attorneys general also allege Meta violated the federal Children's Online Privacy Protection Act by collecting personal information from children under 13 without obtaining parental consent. According to the original complaint, Meta knew children younger than its stated minimum age were using its products but continued collecting and monetizing their information without the required authorization.
Meta disputes the allegations and says trial evidence will show its commitment to supporting young people. The company has introduced a slew of new features in recent years designed to protect minors, including teen accounts launched on Instagram in 2024 that are private by default and come with messaging and content restrictions and parental controls.
The stakes are high for Meta, which already lost two pivotal cases over harms to children and teens this year, both of which it is appealing. Parents of social media victims see the trial as the culmination of years of work and public pressure on social media firms to do more to protect kids online.
The trial, before District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, is expected to last six to eight weeks and could determine whether Meta must change features the states contend are harmful to young users. For now, those changes remain what the states are asking the court to impose.
