Oakland, California, 18 August (Brussles Morning Newspaper) Meta is facing one of the most consequential legal challenges yet to Facebook and Instagram after US states opened a federal case alleging the company built features that kept children hooked on its platforms while playing down risks to younger users. The Meta youth safety trial began with opening statements in Oakland on Tuesday.
The case brings years of arguments over children and social media into a courtroom where Meta’s own product decisions will be examined.
California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey are pursuing consumer protection claims at the trial, while federal children’s privacy claims involving all 29 participating states are also being heard. US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers is presiding.
Meta denies the states’ allegations.
States put Instagram and Facebook features under scrutiny
The states’ case is aimed at the design of Meta’s platforms rather than individual posts or videos.
They allege Meta deliberately used features capable of encouraging children and teenagers to spend longer on Instagram and Facebook, while giving parents and the wider public a misleading picture of their safety.
California Deputy Attorney General Megan O’Neill told the court during opening statements that Meta had exploited young users to increase profits, according to Reuters. Meta disputes that account and argues the states have failed to establish that its products caused the harms alleged.
The remedies being sought show why the case could matter well beyond the courtroom.
The states want changes that could include restrictions based on users’ ages and the removal of infinite scrolling for younger users. They are also seeking changes involving recommendation systems and data associated with children.
Children’s data forms a second front in the case
Alongside the platform-design allegations is a dispute over how Meta handled information belonging to children under 13.
The attorneys general are pursuing claims under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA, which governs how online services collect personal information from children.
In June, Judge Gonzalez Rogers denied Meta’s attempt to secure summary judgment that would have ended the case before trial. The court also concluded that Meta had not obtained parental consent in a manner sufficient to meet COPPA requirements, according to California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office.
The ruling cleared a major obstacle to this week’s proceedings.
Meta rejects claims it failed younger users
Meta is defending its record and is expected to argue that the case overlooks years of work aimed at making Facebook and Instagram safer for teenagers.
The company disputes the claim that the challenged features caused the harms alleged by the states and has strongly contested the scale of potential financial penalties.
Meta has said calculations advanced by the states could expose it to as much as $1.4 trillion in penalties. That is not an amount awarded by the court, and any financial liability would depend on the outcome of the case and subsequent decisions on remedies.
California, meanwhile, says Meta should be held responsible for the way its platforms treated younger users.
After the June ruling, Attorney General Rob Bonta said protecting children from harm was among his most important responsibilities, adding that California intended to pursue its case at trial.
Zuckerberg and Mosseri expected to testify
The Meta youth safety trial is expected to put some of Silicon Valley’s most senior executives on the witness stand.
Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram chief Adam Mosseri are among those expected to testify during proceedings expected to last several weeks. Their appearances could provide a rare public examination of decisions made inside Meta about engagement, product design and safeguards for young users.
An eight-member advisory jury of five women and three men has been selected.
Unlike a conventional jury, however, it will not have the final word. Its findings will advise Judge Gonzalez Rogers, who will ultimately determine Meta’s liability.
Why the case could change the social media debate
The lawsuit dates back to 2023, when California and other attorneys general accused Meta of violating federal and state laws through its treatment of children and teenagers. That action followed a nationwide investigation announced in 2021.
What makes the current proceedings particularly important is the states’ focus on the underlying design of social media.
A ruling against Meta could lead directly to changes at Facebook and Instagram and could also become an important reference point in other cases challenging how technology companies build products for young people.
It would not automatically decide those cases, but the court’s treatment of the states’ arguments will be closely watched across the technology industry.
What Comes Next for Meta and Its Platforms?
Lawyers for both sides will now present documents, expert evidence and witness testimony as the court examines what Meta knew about younger users and how it designed Facebook and Instagram.
Zuckerberg and Mosseri are expected to be among the most closely watched witnesses.
Once the evidence has been heard, the advisory jury will give its findings before Judge Gonzalez Rogers makes the ultimate liability decision.
The eventual ruling in the Meta youth safety trial could determine far more than whether Meta owes financial penalties. It may also decide whether some of the features that helped define modern Facebook and Instagram can continue to operate in the same way for younger users.
