Meta in court over child social media addiction
OAKLAND: Opening arguments begin on Tuesday in the federal trial of Meta, the social media titan accused of deliberately making Instagram and Facebook platforms addictive to children, with a coalition of states seeking $200 billion dollars in penalties. In what many experts have called social media’s “big tobacco moment,” Meta stands charged with harming children by using technology specifically…
Oakland, August 19th, 2026 - As opening arguments commence in a federal trial against social media giant Meta, the company faces allegations of intentionally creating addictive experiences for children on its Instagram and Facebook platforms. A coalition of states, representing 29 others, seeks $200 billion in penalties against Meta.
This case is viewed as a potential turning point for the tech industry, akin to the scrutiny faced by big tobacco companies, according to Stanford law professor Nora Freeman Engstrom. If Meta loses, it may need to fundamentally redesign its widely-used platforms to address the concerns raised by the lawsuit.
Meta vehemently denies all accusations, claiming it has collaborated with parents, experts, and law enforcement to implement child protection measures. The trial's star witnesses are Meta's founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, and the head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri. This marks the first federal trial expected to be part of a wave of lawsuits targeting other platforms like TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube, as families, educators, and state governments allege these companies have negatively impacted the mental health of young users.
The three main charges against Meta are: (1) misleading the public about the dangers of its apps for minors; (2) intentionally designing features to addict young users; and (3) collecting data from children under 13 without parental consent.
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