Meta faces 29-state trial over claims it hooked children on its apps
What's at stake: A judge could force changes to Instagram and Facebook and levy penalties that states put near $200 billion.
A closely watched trial opened in federal court in Oakland, California, where 29 states accuse Meta Platforms of designing Facebook and Instagram to keep children using the apps and collecting their data unlawfully. California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey are leading the case, which seeks major financial penalties and changes to core product features. The states argue Meta knew its platforms could harm teen mental health, misled the public about safety and failed to keep younger children off the services. Meta countered that research does not clearly tie social media use to poor well-being and disputed the scale of underage use. US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers will decide liability after an advisory jury verdict.