A federal trial began Tuesday as 29 U.S. states sued Meta, alleging the company addicted children to Instagram and Facebook. According to the states’ 233-page complaint, Meta designed the platforms to exploit young users for profit by using addictive features that contributed to mental health harms such as anxiety, depression, and suicide.
The states allege Meta orchestrated a “scheme to exploit young users for profit” by designing Instagram and Facebook with addictive features that contribute to mental health issues among children and teens, including anxiety, depression, insomnia, and suicide, according to court documents and statements from the attorneys general involved.
The lawsuit, filed in October 2023, centers on a 233-page federal complaint brought by a coalition of 29 states, led by California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey, as part of a multidistrict litigation effort.
The complaint accuses Meta of deliberately engineering the platforms to “hook” young users and prolong their engagement, which officials say adversely affects their well-being and violates consumer protection laws. The states contend that Meta misled the public by downplaying or concealing the mental health risks associated with its social media services. New Mexico’s attorney general’s office detailed how the company’s design allegedly degrades children’s sense of self-worth and physical safety, linking it to increased exposure to exploitation, according to court filings.
Lawyers for the states also assert that Meta concealed internal research demonstrating Instagram’s addictive impact on teenagers and its harmful effects on their mental health. The complaint alleges that Meta knowingly misrepresented the safety of its platforms, including the effectiveness of safety features and the prevalence of harmful content, to both the public and young users. These practices, officials say, violated state consumer protection and fraud statutes by withholding material information about the risks posed to children and teens.
The lawsuit further claims that Meta engaged in illegal data collection practices by regularly gathering personal information from children under 13 without parental consent, violating federal and state privacy laws, including the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). The attorneys general argue that Meta’s data practices breach laws such as the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act and analogous statutes in other states. Separate lawsuits filed by Florida and other jurisdictions also allege unlawful data collection and privacy violations affecting minors.
Meta has rejected the allegations, disputing claims that it designed its platforms to be addictive or that it sought to hook children. In court filings, the company argued that the states’ claims exceed existing legal frameworks and emphasized its efforts to promote teen safety and well-being. Meta’s motions to dismiss, which cited First Amendment protections and Section 230 immunity, were denied in June 2026 for the 29-state case, allowing the trial to proceed. The company has pointed to its safety tools and parental controls as evidence that it does not intentionally endanger children, though state officials maintain these measures are inadequate or misrepresented.
The litigation seeks billions of dollars in damages and injunctive relief that would require Meta to alter or eliminate features such as “like” counts and infinite scroll, which the states say are central to addictive use patterns among youth. New Mexico has proposed a $3.7 billion fine and extensive design changes, including universal age verification, guardian-linked child accounts, de-encryption of children’s messages, and the appointment of an independent child-safety monitor for five years. Attorneys general from multiple states also seek court declarations that Meta’s platforms constitute a public nuisance with respect to youth harms, along with requirements to fund large-scale abatement plans.
Additional related lawsuits focus on Meta’s alleged role in facilitating child sexual abuse material (CSAM), online solicitation, and human trafficking. These filings document how exploitative content and connections are amplified by Facebook and Instagram, contributing to the risks faced by children online, according to court records and statements from state officials.
The 29-state coalition is part of a broader legal effort involving 41 to 42 jurisdictions, including Washington, D.C., with 33 states joining the original federal complaint filed in the Northern District of California. The coordinated legal action was publicly announced on October 24, 2023, following a multistate investigation into the impact of Meta’s social media platforms on youth. A federal judge in California ruled in October 2024 that Meta must face these lawsuits, rejecting earlier attempts by the company to avoid liability. The trial marks a significant test of youth social-media litigation, with key addiction and concealment claims now moving forward.
Comments are closed.