Meta Heads to Trial in 29-State Lawsuit Over Instagram, Facebook Youth Safety Claims

A coalition of 29 states began presenting its case against Meta Platforms on Tuesday in a California federal court, in a trial that could force major changes to Facebook and Instagram. Attorneys representing Colorado, California, New Jersey, and Kentucky, who lead the bipartisan group of states, delivered opening statements before an eight-person jury in Oakland. The jury is serving in an advisory role only, with U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers set to issue the final ruling.

The trial centers on claims from the four lead states that Meta intentionally designed Facebook and Instagram to be addictive for children and teenagers, while misleading the public about the platforms’ safety for young users. All 29 states are also accusing the company of improperly collecting and using children’s personal data in violation of federal law.

Meta Denies Wrongdoing, Cites Lack of Evidence

Meta’s legal team is expected to argue that the company has invested heavily in protecting young users and has not made misleading statements about platform safety. The company contends the states have failed to provide evidence of actual harm suffered by their residents.

A Meta spokesperson said ahead of opening arguments that the states have not shown that anyone was misled, and criticized the states for targeting ordinary features, such as the ability to create a second Instagram account, while trying to hold the company responsible for challenges common across the entire industry, including age verification.

Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg is expected to testify during the multiweek trial, along with Instagram head Adam Mosseri.

Financial Stakes Could Reach Into Hundreds of Billions

Meta has said potential penalties in the case could climb as high as $1.4 trillion, a figure close to the company’s current market value of $1.5 trillion. State attorneys general have not yet specified an exact amount but indicated at a hearing last week that they may be seeking closer to $200 billion.

Beyond financial penalties, the states are also asking the court to order Meta to implement age restrictions, eliminate infinite scroll features, and make other platform-wide changes across the country.

Case Traces Back to 2021 Whistleblower Testimony

The lawsuit, originally filed in 2023, grew out of a multistate investigation into how Instagram and Facebook affect young users. That investigation followed revelations from former Meta employee and whistleblower Frances Haugen, who told a U.S. Senate committee in 2021 that the company was aware its products could harm young users and knew how to make them safer, but chose not to act in order to protect profits.

During the trial, states plan to present internal Meta documents and research, along with testimony from former employees and outside experts. Meta joins other major platforms, including Snap, TikTok parent ByteDance, and YouTube parent Alphabet, in facing mounting legal and regulatory pressure over the impact of their products on young users.