Meta child addiction trial begins

A landmark federal trial began on August 18, 2026, in Oakland, United States — California, where four US states (United States — California, United States — Colorado, United States — Kentucky, and United States — New Jersey) are leading a coalition of 29 states in suing Meta Platforms. The states allege that Meta deliberately designed Meta Platforms and Meta Platforms — Instagram to be addictive to children and teenagers, contributing to a youth mental health crisis, and that the company misled the public about the safety of its platforms. They also claim Meta violated the Children s Online Privacy Protection Act by collecting data on children under 13 without parental consent. The states seek up to $1.4 trillion in penalties (Meta's estimate) or around $200 billion (states' estimate), plus sweeping changes to platform features such as infinite scroll, likes, and notifications. Meta denies the allegations, arguing that its products are not addictive and that it has invested heavily in teen safety. The trial, presided over by Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, is expected to last six to eight weeks, with testimony from CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Meta Platforms — Instagram head Adam Mosseri, and former Meta engineer Arturo Bejar, who testified that some safety tools were 'designed to fail.' The case is seen as the biggest legal test yet of social media's effects on young users, drawing comparisons to the tobacco litigation of the 1990s. Meta has already faced adverse verdicts in Mexico and Los Angeles, and its stock fell 4.4% on the first day of the trial.