Key Takeaways
Opening statements began Tuesday in Oakland federal court in the social media addiction case brought against Meta by a bipartisan coalition of 29 state attorneys general.
The states are seeking civil penalties that could reach $200 billion. Meta says the financial demand could total $1.4 trillion and calls it vastly disproportionate.
The trial is expected to run about six to seven weeks and follows a $567 million loss for Meta in New Mexico two weeks ago.
Opening statements began Tuesday in federal court in Oakland, California, in the largest of the social media addiction cases against Meta. A bipartisan coalition of 29 state attorneys general told the court that Facebook and Instagram were deliberately engineered to hook children, fueling anxiety, depression and suicide, and that the company deceived the public about the risks, according to Reuters.
The states are asking for civil penalties that could reach $200 billion. Meta puts the number far higher, saying the financial demand could total $1.4 trillion. A Meta spokesperson said "their limited claims are unsubstantiated and their financial demands are vastly disproportionate," and the company says it stands by its record on teen protections.
The complaint centers on design. The states point to infinite scrolling and push notifications as features built to keep young users on the apps as long as possible, and they separately allege Meta violated a federal online privacy law by collecting personal data from its youngest users without parental permission, ABC News reported. The trial is expected to run about six to seven weeks.
Meta arrives at this one already losing. Two weeks ago a New Mexico judge ordered the company to pay $567 million and change its apps after finding it contributed to a youth mental health crisis, and Meta said it would appeal. In March, a Los Angeles jury found Meta and Google's YouTube negligent for app designs that harmed a young plaintiff, and both companies said they would appeal that verdict too.
The pattern here is hard to ignore. Three separate proceedings, three separate fact-finders, and the same underlying question about whether engagement design is a product defect. The Ninth Circuit ruled this month that Section 230 does not shield social media companies from youth addiction claims, which is what cleared the runway for a jury to hear this case at all. Thousands of similar suits are waiting behind it.
People Also Ask
When did the Meta social media addiction trial start?
Opening statements began Tuesday, August 18, 2026, in federal court in Oakland, California. The trial is expected to last about six to seven weeks.
How many states are suing Meta in the Oakland trial?
A bipartisan coalition of 29 state attorneys general brought the case, accusing Meta of engineering Facebook and Instagram to addict children and of deceiving the public about the risks.
How much money are the states seeking from Meta?
Civil penalties in the case could reach $200 billion. Meta has said the total financial demand against it could reach $1.4 trillion.
What is Meta's defense in the social media addiction trial?
Meta says the states' claims are unsubstantiated and their financial demands are vastly disproportionate, and that it stands by its record of building protections for teenagers.