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A major trial against Meta, one of the largest lawsuits the company has faced over claims it harmed children's mental health, began in a California federal court.
On the first day of the trial, lawyers gave their opening arguments in the Oakland district court before Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers.
California Deputy Attorney General Megan O'Neill, speaking for the plaintiffs, said Meta's business model relies on "keeping users engaged and collecting their data." She told the court this strategy works "particularly well on children," and claimed Meta designed its platforms to keep young users coming back again and again.
O'Neill said the jury would see how children are attracted to Facebook and Instagram, and how Meta allegedly makes them "dependent" by using features that keep users active or bring them back to the apps.
She argued that tools meant to limit how much time children spend on the platforms do not truly protect them. Instead, she said these tools are mostly there to "improve Meta's public image" and make parents "feel better."
O'Neill also said that underage children having accounts on Facebook and Instagram is not by accident, but a result of Meta's choices. She told the court the plaintiffs would ask the jury to hold Meta responsible.
Meta's attorney, Paul Schmidt, said the company has a record of sharing information about the possible harms of social media. He showed the jury documents on how young people use social media, including survey results in which 20% of teenagers said Instagram made them feel worse about themselves. Schmidt said Meta employees are working to help these teenagers feel better.
Schmidt asked the jury to stay "open-minded" and wait until the trial ends before deciding. He said the states must prove that Meta knew about features that harmed children and did not remove them.
Schmidt said Meta is not allowed by law to keep children's data in ways that would let it build computer models to spot users under 13. He said the company has always asked for age information on Facebook and later on Instagram, and lets users report accounts they think belong to people under the minimum age.
The trial, which is expected to last several weeks, will likely include testimony from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Instagram head Adam Mosseri, current and former Meta employees, and psychology experts.
The trial covers state-law claims from California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey, as well as federal claims from other states among the 29 that have sued Meta. Allegations about "design and addiction" under the laws of the other 25 states will be handled in separate hearings later.
The jury in this trial only gives advice. Judge Rogers will make the final decision about whether Meta is responsible for any wrongdoing and what penalties or remedies should apply.
The outcome of this case could affect how the other states' claims are handled, change how Facebook and Instagram work, and possibly lead to billions of dollars in penalties for Meta.
Meta estimates it could face penalties of up to $1.4 trillion if it loses. This amount is close to the company's market value and is considered unprecedented in legal history.
Several U.S. states, including California, New York, and Colorado, filed the lawsuit against Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, in October 2023.
The lawsuit claims Meta purposely used design features to make teenagers and children dependent on its platforms to earn more advertising revenue. It also says Meta misled the public even though it knew this caused serious harm to young people's mental and physical health.
The lawsuit says Meta's main goal was to increase the time young people spent on its platforms. It claims that Meta created features that exploited weaknesses in developing adolescent brains.
These features reportedly include recommendation algorithms that trigger dopamine responses, "Like" buttons that encourage harmful social comparison, constant notifications to bring users back, visual filters that can cause body image issues, and an "infinite scroll" format that makes it hard for users to stop using the app.
The lawsuit says Meta's own research showed its platform led to serious problems for young people, like depression, anxiety, insomnia, and disrupted routines. But it claims Meta denied this and instead released misleading reports.
The lawsuit also says Meta broke a law that protects children's online privacy by collecting personal data from children under 13 without getting parental consent.
The states bringing the lawsuit want Meta to stop what they call unlawful practices. They are also asking for other remedies available under the law, which could include large financial penalties and changes to how Meta runs its platforms.
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