Meta is heading into a courtroom in Oakland, California on Tuesday for what could be its most consequential legal battle yet. Attorneys general from 29 states are arguing that Meta violated child safety and consumer protection laws, and that its platforms caused real harm to children’s mental health.
Is this social media’s “big tobacco” moment? Ahead of opening statements this week in the multistate federal trial against Meta, California @AGRobBonta says, “We are not interested in putting them out of business. We are interested in ending the harmful, unlawful features that… pic.twitter.com/lpZhcyd0GP
— Bloomberg (@business) August 16, 2026
META stock was down 0.86% ahead of the trial.
The case is being heard by District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in US District Court for the Northern District of California. She presided over the Elon Musk v Sam Altman trial and has a reputation for being direct and thorough.
California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey are the states actively participating in the trial. Both CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri are expected to take the stand.
The states claim Meta deliberately built features like infinite scroll, autoplay, and like counts to keep young users hooked on its platforms for as long as possible. They argue Meta knew these features caused anxiety, depression, and self-harm but marketed its products as safe anyway.
The plaintiffs also allege Meta violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act by allowing children under 13 on its platforms and collecting their data without parental consent.
Beyond money, the states want Meta to fundamentally change how Instagram and Facebook work for young users. That includes ending like counts, removing infinite scroll, stopping autoplay video, banning disappearing posts like Instagram Stories, and changing its recommendation algorithms.
They also want parental verification for teenage users and restrictions on push notifications.
These are features that sit at the core of how Meta’s platforms operate today.
The potential damages are eye-catching. States are seeking upwards of $1.4 trillion. Meta’s entire market cap is roughly $1.5 trillion.
Meta is pushing back hard. “The AGs offer no proof anyone in their states was misled,” a company spokesperson said. “Rather than sticking to the facts or the law, the states have instead decided to chase an outlandish payout.”
This trial does not happen in isolation. Meta has been losing similar cases.
Earlier this month, a New Mexico court ordered Meta to pay $942 million and declared it a “public nuisance,” comparing its effect on young people to a factory polluting the air. The judge also ordered Instagram and Facebook to remove like counts for users under 18 and limit push notification hours for teens.
In March, a jury found Meta and YouTube negligent after a woman testified that she developed a dangerous dependency on their platforms starting at age 10. The companies were ordered to pay $6 million in damages.
The 30 states involved in Tuesday’s trial represent nearly two-thirds of the US population. A loss here would almost certainly force Meta to make platform-wide changes across the country.
The trial begins Tuesday in front of Judge Gonzalez Rogers.
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