US states take on Meta in pivotal trial over child social media addiction claims

Key Points:

• More than half of US states have joined a landmark lawsuit against Meta, accusing the company of deliberately designing addictive features on Instagram and Facebook that harm young users; the federal trial begins Tuesday in Oakland, California, and may last six to eight weeks.
• The 233-page lawsuit alleges Meta collects data on children under 13 without parental consent and prioritizes profit over safety by maintaining harmful features such as infinite scrolling, notifications, and visual filters, which can contribute to mental health issues like depression and anxiety among youth.
• Attorneys general from 29 states seek up to $200 billion in damages—equivalent to Meta’s projected 2025 revenue—and demand changes to Meta’s product design to protect children; Meta denies the allegations, calling the claims unsubstantiated and financially disproportionate.
• The trial will feature testimony from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri, and whistleblower Arturo Béjar, with internal research expected to show that teens recognize Instagram’s negative mental health impact but feel compelled to use it to avoid social exclusion.
• This case follows recent legal setbacks for Meta, including a $567 million penalty in New Mexico, and is part of a broader wave of lawsuits against social media companies modeled after 1990s tobacco litigation, aiming to hold Meta accountable for knowingly causing harm to young people.