Opening statements have begun in a federal trial that could reshape how social media platforms are allowed to interact with children. A coalition of 29 US states is squaring off against Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, in a case that puts the design of the world's largest social networks directly before a court for the first time in this way.
The states filed their suit three years ago, and the dispute has now reached the courtroom. At its core is the claim that Meta knowingly designed its platforms to get young people addicted, harming their mental health in the process while boosting the company's own profits. The attorneys general argue that the harm to children was not an accidental side effect but a foreseeable consequence of deliberate choices.
The financial stakes are enormous. The states are seeking more than one trillion dollars in damages, a figure that underscores both the number of jurisdictions involved and the scale of the harm they allege has been done to a generation of young users over the years the platforms have operated.
Central to the case are specific product features that the states say were engineered to keep young users hooked. They accuse Meta of intentionally creating tools such as recommending algorithms and infinite scrolling feeds designed to be addictive, keeping children on the apps for as long as possible rather than serving their wellbeing.
The allegations go beyond time spent on screens. According to the states, the platforms exposed still-developing children to pro-anorexia content, and their algorithms compounded the danger, so that a user who viewed material about self-harm would then be delivered even more content about self-harm. One parent recalled feeling sick after reading how Meta's Instagram features affected children who are still developing, describing the effect on her own daughters, aged 12 and 14.
Meta rejects the accusations. A company spokesperson said the attorneys general offer no proof that anyone was actually misled, and argued that the states are attempting to penalize Meta for challenges that face the entire industry rather than for anything unique to its platforms. The company denies that it designed its products to harm the young people who use them.
With both sides now laying out their arguments before the court, the trial is being watched as a potential turning point in the long-running fight over children and social media. Its outcome could set the terms for how platforms are permitted to build features aimed at, or used by, minors, and could carry consequences well beyond the 29 states that brought the case.