Landmark US Trial Begins Over Meta's Alleged Impact on Children's Mental Health

Opening statements commenced on Tuesday in a landmark US lawsuit brought by a bipartisan coalition of 29 state attorneys general against Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram. California Attorney General Rob Bonta joined representatives from Colorado, California, New Jersey, and Kentucky in a federal court to argue that Meta intentionally designed its popular social media applications to harm the mental health of young users.

The trial, anticipated to last several weeks, is taking place before District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in a US federal court in California. While an eight-person jury is present, their role is strictly advisory, as Judge Rogers will make the final ruling on the case.

During her opening statement, Megan O'Neill, a deputy California attorney general, accused Meta of engineering its products to hook users, maximize retention, harvest data, and conceal the truth from the public. She emphasized that this strategy proved especially effective regarding children. Filed initially in 2023, the lawsuit alleges that Meta purposefully designed its platforms to drive excessive use among underage users and unlawfully collected data from children under the age of 13.

Meta has consistently denied these allegations. In a statement released prior to the trial, company spokesperson Stephanie Otway defended Meta's safety record, highlighting the introduction of Instagram Teen Accounts in 2024 to restrict contact for underage users and provide parental time-limit controls. Otway dismissed the state attorneys general claims as unsubstantiated and financially disproportionate.

The financial stakes for Meta are immense, with potential penalties reaching up to $200 billion from this coalition, though maximum fines could theoretically scale higher. Meta has already faced substantial legal setbacks, including $942 million in fines related to a separate New Mexico lawsuit. Following the day's proceedings, Meta's stock fell by more than 3 percent in midday trading on Wall Street.