Meta faces federal trial over child social media addiction claims

Opening statements are set to begin Tuesday in a pivotal federal trial where states are seeking billions of dollars from Meta Platforms for alleged harms to children on its social media platforms. Twenty-nine states are suing the tech giant, accusing it of knowingly designing features that addict children and violating federal law by collecting data on users under 13 without parental consent.

Attorneys general from California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey are leading the charge, seeking a financial penalty that could theoretically reach $1.4 trillion, along with changes to Meta's operations of Facebook and Instagram. Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman stated, "This week, we're in court with the largest consumer protection lawsuit in American history. We'll show a jury that Meta concealed what it knew about the harm its products cause young people because looking away was more profitable."

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This week, we're in court with the largest consumer protection lawsuit in American history. We'll show a jury that Meta concealed what it knew about the harm its products cause young people because looking away was more profitable.

Meta maintains it has a strong case, asserting, "We are proud of our record in protecting teens on our platforms and the amount of effort that we've put into developing protections over the years... We look forward to showing the judge and the jury those facts in court." U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who has overseen previous high-profile tech cases, will preside over the proceedings, which are expected to last six to eight weeks and may include testimony from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

Legal experts suggest that a penalty close to $1.4 trillion is unlikely, even if Meta loses. This trial is part of a broader wave of lawsuits targeting social media companies like Meta, Google's YouTube, TikTok, and Snap, over concerns about youth mental health, data collection, and addictive platform design. Earlier this month, a federal appeals court allowed thousands of similar lawsuits against Meta to proceed.

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We are proud of our record in protecting teens on our platforms and the amount of effort that we've put into developing protections over the years, even before these cases were ever filed, and continuing to the present day. We look forward to showing the judge and the jury those facts in court.