California Leads Multi-State Legal Offensive Against Meta Over Youth Safety
Allegations of deliberate addiction design and privacy violations form the core of the consumer protection lawsuit, with Mark Zuckerberg set to testify as proceedings commence.
A landmark legal challenge against Meta has commenced in the US federal court in Oakland, California, as four state governments pursue significant damages and structural reforms to the company’s social media platforms. The coalition, comprising California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey, alleges that Meta deliberately engineered Facebook and Instagram to be addictive for children while misleading the public regarding platform safety.
The states are seeking approximately $200 billion in damages, alongside mandated changes to Meta’s core applications. Central to the complaint is the allegation that Meta violated privacy laws by routinely collecting data on children under the age of 13 without parental consent. These four states are part of a broader coalition of 29 states that initiated legal action against the tech giant in 2023, citing the integration of addictive features into its apps.
Opening statements are scheduled to begin on Tuesday, with the trial expected to last between six and eight weeks. Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman has characterised the proceedings as the largest consumer protection lawsuit in American history. Coleman stated that the legal team intends to demonstrate that Meta concealed knowledge of the harm its products cause to young people because ignoring the issue was more profitable.
Meta founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg is expected to testify as a star witness during the proceedings. The court has also approved the appearance of former Meta employee Arturo Bejar as an expert witness, despite the company’s efforts to block his testimony. Lawyers for the states plan to question Bejar for three hours regarding Meta’s safety practices and whether the company misrepresented its internal knowledge of risks to minors.
While an advisory jury of eight people is serving in the case, the final decision rests with Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers. Meta has strongly disagreed with the allegations, citing its record in protecting teens and the efforts invested in developing safety protections prior to the filing of these cases. A verdict is expected by October.
