{
  "id": 1715765,
  "title": "Meta stock sinks as landmark social media addiction trial gets underway. What’s at stake for the tech giant?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/meta-stock-sinks-as-landmark-social-media-addiction-trial-gets",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-08-18T12:23:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Fast Company",
    "slug": "fast-company",
    "url": "https://www.fastcompany.com/91591720/meta-stock-price-sinks-today-child-social-media-addiction-trial"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In a landmark trial set to begin in an Oakland, California courtroom, Meta Platforms, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, faces allegations that it designed its social media platforms to addict younger users, despite being aware of the negative impact on their mental health. If found guilty, the tech giant could potentially be forced to pay over a trillion dollars in penalties and make significant changes to the core functionalities of Facebook and Instagram. This development has caused Meta's stock (Nasdaq: META) to plummet in recent weeks. The lawsuit, initiated by multiple states, claims Meta deliberately created addiction-inducing features and exploited younger users' vulnerabilities to increase engagement and maximize profits. Meta has refuted these claims, arguing that the allegations are unsubstantiated and disproportionate. The trial is expected to last between six and eight weeks, with Meta's executives, including CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri, set to provide opening statements. If the company loses, the financial penalties could be as high as $1.4 trillion, although a smaller fine is more probable. More significantly, Meta may be compelled to alter Facebook and Instagram's features, such as likes, infinite scroll, and autoplay, which could negatively impact user engagement and ad revenue.",
  "summary": "Today, opening statements will be heard in an Oakland, California, courtroom in a landmark trial that could determine whether Meta Platforms, owner of Facebook and Instagram, designed its social media platforms to addict younger users, despite the company being aware of the danger its social media platforms presented to mental health. If found guilty, Meta could be on the hook for more than a…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "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."
}