US States Sue Meta Over Alleged Child-Targeted Design in Federal Trial
More than half of US states are suing Meta, claiming its platforms are deliberately engineered to addict minors, with the trial in Oakland expected to last six to eight weeks.
A coalition of 29 state attorneys general has taken Meta Platforms to federal court in Oakland, accusing the company of designing Instagram and Facebook features that intentionally attract and retain young users. The multidistrict litigation, filed in October 2023, alleges that Meta collected data on children under 13 without parental consent and employed psychologically manipulative tools such as infinite scrolling, push notifications, and “likes” to maximize user time.
The trial, scheduled to run for six to eight weeks, will feature testimony from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Instagram chief Adam Mosseri and former employee Arturo Béjar. California Attorney General Rob Bonta said Meta “designed a dangerous product for young users, knew it to be dangerous, and then lied to children, families and the community about how dangerous it was.”
If the jury finds Meta liable, the states seek damages of up to $200 billion and court-ordered changes to the design of its apps to improve child safety. Meta has denied the claims, stating the states are pursuing “an outlandish payout” and that their allegations are “unsubstantiated” and “disproportionate.”
Internal Meta research, including a 2019 survey of 2,500 teens, is expected to be presented. The survey indicated that many young people recognize potential mental-health harms from Instagram but feel compelled to use the app to avoid missing social trends. The case follows recent state judgments, including a $567 million penalty ordered by a New Mexico judge and other lawsuits that have drawn on legal strategies once used against tobacco and opioid manufacturers.