A coalition of states is headed to federal court in Oakland, California, this week in what is shaping up as the most consequential legal fight yet over whether Meta's platform design harms young users. The trial pits four states, California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey, against the social media giant, with dozens of other states expected to face trials later.
The lawsuit accuses Meta of knowingly designing addictive features on Facebook and Instagram that contribute to the youth mental health crisis, and of routinely collecting data on children under 13 without parental consent in violation of federal law. States are seeking extensive financial damages that could theoretically total as much as $1.4 trillion, plus court-ordered changes to how the company operates its platforms.
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.
New York Attorney General Letitia James said as the trial opened that Meta has built its business around addictive feeds and features that put children's mental health at serious risk.
The stakes are high for Meta, which already lost two pivotal cases over harms to children and teens this year. 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.
For New York and the other states, the trial is part of a broader push to establish that existing consumer-protection and children's privacy laws can be applied to social media design practices themselves.
