Tech giant Meta is facing the largest legal battle in social media history, as attorneys general from 30 U.S. states have jointly filed suit in U.S. courts accusing the company of designing Facebook and Instagram platforms in ways that severely harm the mental health of children and youth, with potential damages reaching $1.4 trillion, or over 46 trillion baht.
The lawsuit between Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram, and various U.S. states began hearings this week in federal court in Oakland, California. Initially, four states—California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey—are plaintiffs, with an additional 25 states expected to join later in the process.
The case originated from a 2023 lawsuit in which 30 states accused Meta of deliberately designing Facebook and Instagram features to keep children and teenagers continuously engaged, creating addictive-like behavior and worsening mental health issues among youth.
The states also allege that Meta collected data from children under 13 without parental consent, potentially violating federal law. They further accuse the company of using content recommendation systems, notifications, and various features to maximize user time spent on the platforms.
Besides seeking damages, the states want Meta to make broad changes to Facebook and Instagram operations, such as removing public "like" counts for younger users, implementing parental verification for teen accounts, adjusting content recommendation algorithms, stopping autoplay videos, restricting multiple account creation, and controlling auto-disappearing posts like Instagram Stories.
The damages sought could total as much as $1.4 trillion, approximately 46 trillion baht, nearly equal to Meta’s entire market capitalization. However, legal experts consider it unlikely the court would impose such a high sum, as it could bankrupt the company and effectively place the states in control of it.
Meta denies all allegations, stating the company strongly disagrees with the claims and is confident that evidence presented at trial will demonstrate its commitment to supporting and protecting youth. Meta emphasized collaboration with parents, experts, and law enforcement to understand and address issues affecting children and adolescents.
This lawsuit follows several legal setbacks for Meta concerning youth impact. Earlier this year, a Los Angeles court ordered Meta and YouTube to pay $6 million to a young woman who claimed social media addiction from childhood, with a jury finding both companies negligent in platform design or operation, leading to harm to minors.
In addition, earlier this month, a New Mexico judge ordered Meta to enhance safety measures for minors and fined the company $942 million, declaring Meta’s social media platforms a "public nuisance" comparable to air-polluting factories. The measures include limiting likes for users under 18, banning teens from sending or receiving nude content, and restricting app notifications during certain hours.
The states also cite internal Meta research showing that the number of "likes" can prompt social comparison on social media, linking to feelings of loneliness, poor body image, and negative moods, especially among teenagers.
Meanwhile, Meta has introduced new measures to protect youth in recent years, such as launching Teen Accounts on Instagram in 2024, which default to private settings and restrict messaging and content, alongside parental controls and AI tools to detect if users under 13 are accessing Instagram.
The ongoing California case is highly significant because the 30 states involved represent nearly two-thirds of the U.S. population. Should the court order Meta to implement the requested platform changes, it could lead to major transformations in the Facebook and Instagram experience for children and teens nationwide, potentially setting a key precedent for future social media regulation globally.