Trial opens in US multistate suit claiming Meta harmed young users
A 2023 lawsuit by 29 U.S. states accuses Meta of targeting children and seeks both monetary damages and sweeping product changes to Instagram and Facebook.
A major consumer-protection trial against Meta has opened in a U.S. federal court, after 29 states accused the company of designing Instagram and Facebook features that harm young users and break child-privacy laws.
States seek billions and structural changes to social apps
The lawsuit, filed in 2023 by a coalition that includes California and New York, alleges violations of multiple federal and state statutes governing children’s privacy and digital safety. The states are seeking billions of dollars in damages and a series of structural reforms to how Instagram and Facebook operate for minors.
Among the remedies the states demand are measures aimed at limiting design choices they say deliberately prolong and intensify young people’s use of the platforms:
- implementing a parental verification process for teenage accounts
- changing recommendation algorithms the states call "dopamine-manipulating"
- removing extensive image filters that alter users’ appearances
- stopping automatic video autoplay
- banning the creation of multiple accounts
- ending ephemeral features such as Instagram Stories
“We will show the jury that Meta hid what it knew about the harm its products cause young people because looking away was more profitable,” said Rasel Kolman, the attorney general of Kentucky. The states argue these features — together with persistent push notifications — are engineered to keep teenagers and children on the apps for longer periods.
Meta firmly rejected the allegations. “We categorically disagree with these claims and are confident that the evidence will show our long-standing commitment to supporting young people,” a company spokesperson said in a statement.
The case is being heard by Judge Ivon Gonzalez Rodgers in California. Earlier this year a judge in New Mexico ordered Meta to pay a combined $942 million and to make changes that resemble those now sought by the multi-state coalition; that judge, Brajan Bidshajd, described Meta as a “public nuisance” with harmful effects across the population. Meta has said it will appeal the New Mexico ruling.
If the 29 states prevail, the required alterations could extend across the United States, producing tangible changes in how millions of teenagers experience social media. Meta’s market capitalization is currently around $1.5 trillion, underlining the scale of the potential impact if a court forces platform redesigns.
Photo: press material from the event
