Opening statements are scheduled to begin Tuesday in a closely watched federal trial in California that could have major consequences for Meta Platforms, as several states pursue billions of dollars in damages over alleged social media harms to children.
Attorneys general from California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey are asking for financial penalties that, at least in theory, could reach as much as $1.4 trillion, along with court-ordered changes to the way Meta runs Facebook and Instagram. They are part of a group of 29 states that sued the tech giant in 2023 over child safety and privacy concerns. The remaining 25 states are expected to have their claims heard in a later trial, while Meta is also fighting related lawsuits in state courts.
The case alleges that the social media company helped fuel the youth mental health crisis by intentionally building features designed to keep children hooked on its platforms. The states also claim Meta has repeatedly collected personal data from children under 13 without parental consent, which they say violates federal law.
“This week, we’re in court with the largest consumer protection lawsuit in American history. We’ll show a jury that Meta concealed what it knew about the harm its products cause young people because looking away was more profitable,” Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman said in a written statement.
Meta has said it is confident in its defense.
“We are proud of our record in protecting teens on our platforms and the amount of effort that we’ve put into developing protections over the years, even before these cases were ever filed, and continuing to the present day. We look forward to showing the judge and the jury those facts in court,” the company said in a written statement.
U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers will preside over the trial in Oakland. The proceedings are expected to run six to eight weeks and feature testimony from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg , along with other current and former company executives and employees. Gonzalez Rogers, who was appointed to the federal bench by former President Barack Obama in 2011, has handled a range of complex, high-profile Big Tech cases, including Elon Musk’s lawsuit against OpenAI and its founders and Epic Games’ antitrust battle with Apple over the App Store.
If Meta is found liable, the judge would have broad authority to determine any financial penalty. Still, legal experts say an award anywhere near $1.4 trillion is considered unlikely.
The trial is the latest in an avalanche of lawsuits against Meta Platforms and other social media companies including Google’s YouTube, TikTok and Snap, over arguments that their platforms harm young people, illegally collect their data and are deliberately designed to addict them.
Earlier this month, a U.S. federal appeals court denied Meta’s appeal, clearing the way for thousands of lawsuits alleging that its social media platforms encourage addictive usage can proceed.
In March, Meta and YouTube were held legally liable for creating products that led to harmful and addictive behavior by young users. TikTok and Snapchat parent Snap were named in the original complaint, but settled before the trial began in late January. The jury in that case awarded $6 million to the lead plaintiff.
