Tennessee jury hears Meta ignored internal warnings on Instagram teen risks

Lawyers for the US state of Tennessee have told a jury in Nashville that Meta Platforms deliberately ignored internal research linking Instagram to compulsive use, eating disorders, depression, and self-harm among teenagers. The state argues that the company retained features such as autoplay, notifications, and infinite scroll to maximise user engagement and advertising revenue, despite explicit warnings that these designs were detrimental to teen well-being.

During opening statements in the seven-week trial, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti’s legal team presented evidence that Meta’s leadership disregarded repeated flags from researchers regarding the platform’s impact on young users. State lawyer Tom Cartmell demonstrated how unpredictable rewards, such as notification sounds, trigger dopamine hits that promote addiction, particularly in developing brains. He submitted an internal 2017 document in which Meta product managers wrote that features like notifications and infinite scroll were “inherently at odds with well-being” and suggested the company needed to warn the public.

Meta attorneys countered that the company is transparent about risks and actively works to improve safety. Lawyer Kevin Huff argued that internal documents proving the identification of problems demonstrate Meta’s commitment to fixing them, rather than ignoring them. Huff urged jurors to consider whether Meta should bear sole responsibility for broader societal issues such as suicide, child exploitation, and addiction, asserting that protecting teens is a shared responsibility involving parents, teachers, and society.

The lawsuit seeks financial penalties and a court order directing Instagram to modify aspects of the platform deemed harmful to teens' mental health. If the jury finds Meta liable, the trial will enter a second phase before Chancellor Russell Perkins, who will determine penalties and potential platform changes. Tennessee’s case is the second state lawsuit to reach a jury, following a verdict in New Mexico earlier this year where a jury found Meta liable and ordered a $375 million payment.

More than two dozen lawsuits against Meta over its platforms' alleged impact on children have been consolidated in multidistrict litigation in San Francisco, with nearly every state in the country filing claims. Separately, Meta and other social media companies face thousands of lawsuits from individuals and school districts. The New Mexico case is currently awaiting a judge’s decision on additional financial penalties and orders to change Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp in the state.