Landmark trial on Meta’s impact on children’s mental health begins in US

Opening statements in a landmark US case brought by a bipartisan coalition of 29 states against Meta – the parent company of Facebook and Instagram – began on Tuesday, with Colorado, California, New Jersey and Kentucky arguing that the business’s popular social media apps were designed in ways that harmed the mental health of young users.

The trial. It is expected to last a number of weeks, began in a US federal court in California before District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers. While there is an eight-person jury, the group is serving in an advisory role as Judge Rogers will ultimately decide the case.

Megan O’Neill, a deputy California attorney general, in her opening statement said that the business designed its products to “hook the users, hold them for as long as they can, harvest their data, and then hide the truth from the public”.

She added that it worked “especially well for kids”.

The lawsuit. It was first filed in 2023, alleges that Meta produced decisions to design its apps to hook users and facilitate excessive use among the platforms’ youngest users. The coalition also alleges that the business collected data on children under the age of 13 in violation of federal law.

“Meta needed kids, and it needed to reassure the people who cared about those kids that the kids are safe,” O’Neill said.

‘Limited claims’

Meta has long pushed back on allegations against the Silicon Valley social media behemoth.

In an official note before the trial, a Meta spokesperson remarked the states’ claims are unsubstantiated, and the company stands by its record of creating robust protections for teenagers, including launching Instagram Teen Accounts in 2024. It limit who can contact underage users, as well as a feature that allows parents to set time limits on usage.