Meta Goes on Trial Tuesday in a Case That Could Force It to Redesign Instagram and Facebook

A coalition of 29 states led by Colorado, California, New Jersey, and Kentucky began presenting its case against Meta Platforms Tuesday in an Oakland federal courtroom.

The states argue that Meta knowingly designed Facebook and Instagram to be addictive to children and teenagers while misrepresenting them as safe.

The trial is expected to last six to seven weeks before U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who also oversaw the Apple Epic legal battle. If Meta loses the case, it could result in big changes to core features on its social media platforms.

A Case Built From an Insider’s Warning

The trial will also address claims from all 29 states that Meta improperly collected and used children’s personal data and that its features are addictive by design, as Reuters notes. 

That case traces its origins to Frances Haugen, a former Meta employee, whose 2021 testimony alleged that the company 2021 had internal research showing its products could harm young users.

She also alleged that Meta knew how to make them safer but chose profit over those fixes. 

A Meta spokesperson pushed back on the case, telling Reuters that the attorneys general have provided no proof anyone was misled. 

He added that the states are trying to penalize Meta over industry-wide challenges like age verification, calling the case a pursuit of an “outlandish payout.” 

This comes as social platforms face growing regulatory pressure, including the UK announcing a sweeping social media ban for under-16s. 

What Losing Would Actually Cost Meta

The states are seeking remedies beyond monetary damages, which Meta estimates could reach $1.4 trillion if it loses every claim. 

The four lead states now want the court to end infinite scrolling, impose stricter time limits for young users, and delete algorithms and intelligence models built using children’s data. 

These changes would affect core Instagram and Facebook features that have shaped the platforms for more than a decade.

The bigger issue is that a fine, however large, is a cost Meta can absorb, but ending infinite scroll and deleting trained platform algorithms would directly affect the engagement system behind its advertising revenue.

Why This Trial Isn’t Happening in a Vacuum

Tuesday’s opening statements come as Meta faces a series of losses on similar claims. 

The company lost a New Mexico jury verdict in March over child exploitation and mental health harm. 

Weeks later, a Los Angeles jury found Meta and Google liable for a young plaintiff’s anxiety and depression, with both companies appealing the damages. Google then settled a major YouTube addiction lawsuit brought by a Florida teen.

Meta also failed this week to delay the Oakland trial or pause thousands of related cases nationwide. 

More than 3,000 similar cases against Meta, Snap, YouTube, and TikTok are consolidated in the same multidistrict litigation, making this trial a key test for the broader cases.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 85% of Americans believe social media can be addictive for children. 

Meta is therefore defending not just one case, but the engagement-driven design model used across the industry as public and judicial scrutiny grows.

Source: Meta faces 29-state trial that could reshape Instagram and Facebook