{
  "id": 1629324,
  "title": "Opening arguments set to begin in Meta’s federal trial over child harms",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/opening-arguments-set-to-begin-in-metas-federal-trial-over-child-harms",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-18T04:02:55.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Winnipeg Free Press",
    "slug": "winnipeg-free-press",
    "url": "https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/2026/08/17/opening-arguments-set-to-begin-in-metas-federal-trial-over-child-harms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Opening arguments in a federal trial against Meta Platforms are scheduled to commence on Tuesday in a significant legal case in a California court. California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey's attorneys general are pursuing substantial financial damages and modifications to the company's operations related to Facebook and Instagram. Twenty-nine states initiated lawsuits against the tech giant in 2023, with the remaining 25 states set for trials at a later date. Additionally, Meta faces lawsuits in state courts. The lawsuit claims that the social media giant played a role in the youth mental health crisis by intentionally creating features that hook children on its platforms and allegedly harvests data from children under 13 without parental consent, violating federal laws. Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman emphasized the trial's importance, stating that Meta concealed the harm its products inflict on young people, prioritizing profits over responsibility. U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland will preside over the six to eight-week proceedings, with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other executives and former employees testifying. Gonzalez Rogers has presided over various high-stakes cases involving major technology companies, including Elon Musk's lawsuit against OpenAI and Epic Games' lawsuit against Apple. The trial adds to a growing number of lawsuits against Meta Platforms and other social media companies, such as Google's YouTube, TikTok, and Snap, over allegations of harming young people, unlawfully gathering their data, and intentionally designing addictive features.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 5,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Associated Press",
        "title": "A look at major lawsuits against Meta and other social media companies over harms to kids",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/a-look-at-major-lawsuits-against-meta-and-other-social-media",
        "published": "2026-08-18T03:53:01.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Economic Times Tech",
        "title": "A look at major lawsuits against Meta, other social media companies over harms to kids",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/a-look-at-major-lawsuits-against-meta-other-social-media-companies",
        "published": "2026-08-18T05:10:09.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Major Meta trial begins as lawyers spar over witnesses, damages",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/major-meta-trial-begins-as-lawyers-spar-over-witnesses-damages",
        "published": "2026-08-18T05:32:53.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "title": "Major Meta trial begins as lawyers spar over witnesses, damages",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/major-meta-trial-begins-as-lawyers-spar-over-witnesses-damages-1644112",
        "published": "2026-08-18T05:39:10.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}