The trial of Meta, sued by 29 U.S. states, has started with prosecutors accusing the company of deliberately addicting children, leading to social media addiction.
The largest Meta trial began Tuesday, 18 Aug 2026 GMT+7, at a court in Oakland, California, with a jury hearing testimonies from prosecutors representing multiple U.S. states and Meta’s legal team. Meta has been sued by 29 of the 50 U.S. states since 2023.
The group of suing states alleges Meta violated children’s privacy laws and demands billions in damages, pressing Meta to modify Instagram and Facebook systems, such as removing the number of Likes and the infinite scroll feed.
Lead prosecutor Megan O’Neill accuses Meta’s social media platforms of addicting children and harming mental health, citing internal documents stating “one in five teens feel worse because of Instagram” and research showing “features designed to increase screen time directly contradict well-being.”
Additionally, prosecutors accuse Meta of a business model that “attracts children, keeps them engaged as long as possible, harvests data, and conceals the truth,” prioritizing profits over child safety.
Meta’s side, led by attorney Paul Schmidt, counters by citing the same documents, highlighting that 41% of teens reported feeling better and another 41% experienced no effect, arguing prosecutors ignore many teens who have positive experiences on Meta’s platforms.
Prosecutors also criticize Meta for failing to control usage by children under 13, claiming millions of users aged 11–12 are on Instagram with minimal measures to block this age group.
Meta responds that it has identified only about 100,000 users in that age range, noting that privacy laws (which Meta is accused of violating) impede effective age verification and data collection to enforce restrictions.
Regarding "social media addiction," Meta maintains its position that such addiction "does not exist scientifically," and its platforms are not designed to be addictive. However, Meta acknowledges some users struggle to regulate their usage time and has developed tools to address this issue.
The trial will continue through multiple sessions over the next six weeks.
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Source:bbc