Meta Goes on Trial Over Claims It Deliberately Made Facebook and Instagram Addictive for Kids

Meta is facing one of the biggest legal battles in its history as a landmark trial over the alleged impact of Facebook and Instagram on children and teenagers gets underway in the United States.

Four states, California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey, are leading the case on behalf of a wider coalition of 29 states that accuse the company of deliberately designing its platforms to keep young users hooked while misleading the public about the potential risks to their mental health.

The case is being tried in federal court in Oakland, California, before US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, with an eight-person jury serving in an advisory capacity. The judge will ultimately decide Meta's liability and any penalties. The wider lawsuit also includes claims from all 29 states that Meta illegally collected and used children's data.

Meta, however, has strongly rejected the allegations. The company argues that there is no proven link showing that its platforms caused the alleged harm and says it has invested heavily in tools designed to protect younger users.

The Big Question: Did Meta Design Its Apps to Be Addictive?

That is at the centre of the trial.

The states argue that Meta designed features on Facebook and Instagram to exploit the vulnerabilities of young users and keep them engaged for longer.

Among the features under scrutiny are infinite scrolling, push notifications, algorithmic recommendations and engagement tools such as likes.

In very simple terms, the argument is that these features were not just designed to make the platforms useful or entertaining. Prosecutors claim they were built in ways that encouraged young people to keep coming back and spending more time online.

According to the states, Meta understood the potential risks but failed to properly address them.

During opening arguments, a deputy attorney general for the California Department of Justice accused Meta of designing its apps to hook users, hold their attention for as long as possible, harvest their data and hide the truth from the public.

Meta Says the Claims Go Too Far

Meta is pushing back against the accusations.

Its lawyers argue that the effects of social media on teenagers cannot simply be blamed on Facebook and Instagram and that adolescent mental health is influenced by many different factors.

The company also points to safety measures it has introduced for younger users and disputes claims that it deliberately set out to make its products harmful.

So, the trial will essentially come down to two very different arguments.

The states say: Meta knowingly designed products that could keep children hooked and failed to be honest about the risks.

Meta says: The evidence does not prove that its platforms caused the alleged harm, and the company has taken steps to protect younger users.

Why This Trial Matters

This case could go far beyond a financial penalty.

If the states succeed, Meta could be forced to make significant changes to how Facebook and Instagram work, particularly for younger users. Among the changes the states are seeking are age restrictions, the elimination of infinite scroll and other structural changes to how the platforms operate nationwide.

The legal battle could put pressure on features that have become central to modern social media, including:

• Infinite scrolling

• Recommendation algorithms

• Likes and other engagement tools

• Notifications designed to bring users back to an app

• Age and safety protections for younger users

The states have not yet specified an exact damages figure, though attorneys for the states indicated at a recent hearing that penalties could reach around $200 billion. Meta itself has said its potential legal exposure across the case could be as high as $1.4 trillion, a figure the company has cited as roughly equivalent to its market value.

What Happens Next?

The trial is expected to continue for six to eight weeks, with major figures from Meta expected to give evidence, including chief executive Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram head Adam Mosseri.

For Meta, the stakes are enormous.

A ruling against the company could mean more than a massive financial penalty. It could force the tech giant to rethink some of the very features that have helped make Facebook and Instagram two of the world's most widely used social media platforms.

And the consequences may not stop with Meta. The remaining 25 states involved in the original 2023 lawsuit are expected to go to trial in separate proceedings later.