Meta is on trial. The case is about design, data and disclosure.
Four states say Meta deliberately made Facebook and Instagram addictive to children and concealed the risks. Meta says it has worked to protect young users. The trial will test specific legal claims, not decide whether every harm associated with social media has one cause.
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Who is in court
California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey are trying their consumer-protection claims first in federal court. They are part of a larger coalition of 29 states whose federal children's-privacy claims are also tied to the litigation.
What the states allege
The states say Meta used engagement features to keep young users online, misled the public about resulting risks and collected data from children under 13 without verified parental consent. Those are allegations the states must prove.
What Meta says
Meta points to age enforcement, Teen Accounts, parental controls, content restrictions and time-management prompts as evidence that youth safety has evolved. Critics argue many protections are voluntary, difficult to activate or do not address the core engagement design.
What is at stake
The states seek billions of dollars and changes to how Meta operates its platforms. The widely repeated $1.4 trillion figure is a theoretical maximum described by Meta, not an assessed penalty or a forecast of the verdict.