META FACES 29-STATE TRIAL OVER YOUTH SOCIAL MEDIA HARMS

Developing story: Opening statements, testimony, advisory-jury findings and court orders may change the direction and potential consequences of the trial.

A coalition of 29 states began a major federal trial Tuesday against Meta Platforms over claims that Facebook and Instagram were designed in ways that harmed young users’ mental health and that the company misled the public about platform safety. Reuters reported that the case opened in California federal court and could force nationwide changes to two of the world’s most widely used social-media apps.

The opening statements are being led by attorneys for Colorado, California, New Jersey and Kentucky, representing the broader bipartisan group of states. An eight-person jury in Oakland is serving in an advisory capacity for U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who will ultimately decide the case.

The states allege that Meta designed Facebook and Instagram to be addictive to children and teens, misled consumers about safety and improperly collected and used children’s personal data in violation of federal law. Meta denies wrongdoing and says the states have not shown actual harm to residents or misleading statements by the company.

Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram head Adam Mosseri are expected to testify during the multiweek trial, Reuters reported. Their testimony could shape how the judge assesses company knowledge, design choices, safety representations and decisions made at the highest levels of Meta’s leadership.

The potential stakes are enormous. Meta has said penalties could be as high as $1.4 trillion, close to its market capitalization, while state attorneys general have suggested the amount may be closer to $200 billion. The states are also seeking an order requiring age restrictions, elimination of infinite scroll and other platform changes nationwide.

The case grew out of a multistate investigation into Instagram and Facebook’s impact on young users. That investigation followed disclosures by whistleblower Frances Haugen, who told a U.S. Senate committee in 2021 that the company knew its products could harm young users and had ways to make them safer but chose not to act in favor of higher profits.

Meta says it has made major efforts to protect teens online and argues that the states are attacking industrywide challenges such as age verification. The company also says the claims are unsubstantiated and that the plaintiffs are pursuing an outlandish payout rather than focusing on facts or law.

What is confirmed is that the 29-state trial has begun and that the case could affect the design, business model and safety rules of Instagram and Facebook. What remains unresolved is whether the states can prove deception, harm or privacy violations and whether the judge will order penalties or platform changes after the advisory jury issues its verdict.

Fact-check date: August 18, 2026. Article type: News. Sources: Reuters; U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Developing note: Opening statements, testimony, advisory-jury findings and court orders may change the direction and potential consequences of the trial.