Landmark Meta trial begins over child social media addiction and data privacy claims

A bipartisan coalition of 29 U.S. states has initiated a landmark federal trial in California, accusing Meta of intentionally designing its apps to addict children and mishandle their data.

Key points

• Plaintiffs include four lead states: California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey.
• The lawsuit alleges that features like infinite scrolling and data collection have fueled mental health crises among minors.
• Meta faces potential penalties that could range up to hundreds of billions or trillions of dollars, alongside demands for age restrictions and platform changes.
• Top executives including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram chief Adam Mosseri are expected to testify during the six-week trial.

Why it matters

This case represents one of the largest legal tests regarding social media companies' accountability for youth mental health and online safety, potentially reshaping popular digital platforms.