Opening statements opened on Tuesday in a high-profile U.S. federal trial accusing Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, of designing its platforms to be addictive to young people. The case is being heard in California before District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers; an eight-person jury will serve an advisory role while the judge makes the final ruling. The trial is scheduled to run about six weeks and is the first of a series of suits brought by a coalition of states.
Megan O’Neill, a deputy California attorney general, told the court that Meta built products to “hook the users, hold them for as long as they can, harvest their data, and then hide the truth from the public,” adding that the design “worked especially well for kids.” The lawsuit, filed in 2023 by 29 states over child safety and privacy, accuses Meta of contributing to a youth mental health crisis by knowingly creating features that addict children and of collecting data on children under 13 without parental consent, in violation of federal law. The four states prosecuting this first trial-California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey-are seeking billions in damages and structural changes to how Facebook and Instagram operate.
Meta disputes the allegations. Company attorney Paul Schmidt acknowledged that some users struggle with social media but argued the research does not show a clear link between adolescent use and poor wellbeing. He said CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other leaders want to improve services, not make them harmful. A Meta spokesperson called the states’ claims “unsubstantiated,” noting company measures such as Instagram Teen Accounts rolled out in 2024 and parental time-limit features.
If Judge Rogers finds Meta liable, she could impose civil penalties and order changes to the platforms. The financial stakes cited in court are vast: plaintiffs warned fines could reach as high as $1.4 trillion, close to Meta’s $1.5 trillion market value, though the coalition is seeking about $200 billion. Meta has already faced related penalties in other litigation, including roughly $942 million ordered in a separate New Mexico case.
After opening statements, former Meta safety engineer Arturo Bejar testified as the states’ first witness, saying internal safety tools were ineffective and recounting a “move fast and break things” culture that deprioritized safety when features such as short-form Reels were launched. Meta unsuccessfully sought to exclude Bejar’s testimony over deleted Signal messages. Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram chief Adam Mosseri are also expected to testify.
The litigation traces back to a 2021 U.S. Senate hearing in which whistleblower Frances Haugen alleged that Facebook pushed products despite known harms to young users. Al Jazeera’s Eva McKend, reporting from Washington, said the states have a “substantial case” but noted proving intent will be their biggest hurdle. Outside the courthouse, grieving parents and child-safety advocates protested, some holding photos of children they say were harmed by social media; Mary Rodee, whose 15-year-old son died by suicide in 2021, said the outcome was “the predictable outcome of a system that protects corporations instead of children.” Meta shares fell on Tuesday, closing down about 4.4 percent at $543.67, reflecting market concern over the trial’s potential impact.
Original Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2026/8/18/landmark-trial-on-metas-impact-on-childrens-mental-health-begins-in-us
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Publish Date: 2026-08-19 09:20:00
