Trial Begins as US States Accuse Meta of Addicting Young Users

A landmark legal battle against Meta Platforms has officially kicked off in an Oakland, California federal court, marking the biggest judicial test yet over the impact of social media on youth mental health.

Brought by a coalition of US states including California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey, the trial stems from a 2023 lawsuit alleging that Meta deliberately engineered Facebook and Instagram to hook young users, fueled adolescent mental health struggles, and illegally harvested data from children under 13.

While an eight-person advisory jury is present, U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers will ultimately decide the case, which could impose financial penalties reaching into the billions and force structural changes to platform features like infinite scrolling and "like" counts. Outside the courthouse, child safety advocates and grieving parents gathered with photos and banners commemorating teens lost to social media-related harms.

During opening arguments, deputy California attorney general Megan O'Neill told the court that internal company records reveal a clear business strategy:

"Hook the users; hold them for as long as they can; harvest their data; hide the truth from the public when making public statements."

O'Neill highlighted internal Meta research showing that "1 in 5 teens says Instagram makes them feel worse" and pointed to internal logs noting that "product features designed to increase time spent are inherently at odds with well-being and take away from people's ability to focus on activity that adds value to their lives".

"Meta said it put safety over profits, but hid the reality that, time and again, when it came to make a decision, profits won," O'Neill argued.

Meta’s lead attorney, Paul Schmidt, pushed back against the claims, arguing that social media addiction does not exist and noting that the same cited internal study showed 41% of teens felt better using Instagram while another 41% reported no effect. He further asserted that privacy regulations restrict how the company tracks underage users and highlighted executive efforts to introduce safety features.

Company spokesperson Stephanie Otway added in a statement that the AGs offer "no proof anyone in their states was misled" and are attempting to "penalise Meta" for industry-wide issues, claiming that "Rather than sticking to the facts or the law, the states have instead decided to chase an outlandish payout."

The trial's initial witness, former Meta safety engineer Arturo Bejar, testified about internal warnings he raised to executives between 2019 and 2021 regarding high rates of harm experienced by young users. Bejar told the court that safety was not a primary factor when new features were launched, stating:

"Young people were experiencing harm at extraordinarily high rates," and adding that "a parent would have wanted to have known" that reality.

The six-week proceedings are expected to feature testimony from Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram head Adam Mosseri as the court considers liability.