A landmark federal jury trial has begun in Oakland, California, addressing a massive, multi-state lawsuit led by a bipartisan coalition of U.S. states against Meta.
A coalition of States suing Meta platforms over claims Facebook and Instagram were designed in ways that harmed young users’ mental health will begin making its case on Tuesday in California federal court in a trial that could reshape some of the most popular apps on the planet.
Attorneys general from bipartisan group of 29 states including California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey argue that Meta deliberately engineered Facebook and Instagram with features like infinite scrolling, recommendation algorithms, and notification alerts to encourage compulsive and addictive use among children.
As reported the group of states will give their opening statements before an eight-person jury in Oakland that is serving expressly in an advisory capacity for U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who will ultimately decide the case.
The suit also claims Meta violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) by harvesting data from children under 13 without verifiable parental consent.
The States are seeking extensive structural remedies and product alterations to protect younger users such as restricting recommendation systems, limiting image filters, and curbing engagement mechanics alongside massive financial penalties under consumer protection laws.
On the contrary, Meta has strongly denied the accusations, maintaining that the claims are unsubstantiated and that the company has spent years building robust safety tools, age-verification technology, and parental supervision features.
The trial will test the four states’ allegations that Meta designed Facebook and Instagram to be addictive to children and teens and misled consumers about the safety of the platforms for young users.
It will also address the claims of all 29 States accusing Meta of improperly collecting and using children’s personal data while they used the company’s platforms in violation of federal law.
Attorneys for Meta are expected to tell the jury that the company has made a huge effort to keep kids safe online.
Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and Instagram head Adam Mosseri are expected to testify during the multiweek trial.
The company has argued that it has not made misleading statements about safety and the States have failed to present any evidence of actual harm to their residents.
In a statement ahead of the arguments, a Meta spokesperson said the states’ claims are unsubstantiated and the company stands by its record of creating strong protections for teens.
“The AGs offer no proof anyone in their states was misled, claim benign features like having an additional Instagram account somehow harmed their residents, and attempt to penalize Meta for industry-wide challenges like age verification,” the spokesperson said. “Rather than sticking to the facts or the law, the states have instead decided to chase an outlandish payout.”
Other social media companies like Snap Inc, TikTok parent ByteDance and YouTube parent Alphabet are also facing growing pressure from lawmakers and in the courts.
The 29 U.S. States’ lawsuit is among thousands of cases filed against the companies by states, municipalities, school districts and individuals over allegations that their products harm young users.
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