Meta Faces Trial Over Addictive Design and Child Safety

A coalition of 29 U.S. states, including California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey, is suing Meta Platforms, Inc. in a landmark federal trial in Oakland, California. The states allege the company deliberately designed Facebook and Instagram to addict young users, contributing to a youth mental health crisis involving anxiety, depression, and suicide, while illegally collecting data from children under 13 without parental consent.

Former Meta engineering director Arturo Béjar testified that CEO Mark Zuckerberg fostered a corporate culture that treated child safety as an "afterthought" to prioritize growth and profit. Béjar claimed the company adopted a "don't ask, don't tell" approach toward underage users and that safety tools, such as the 2021 "Take a Break" feature, were "designed to fail" because they were not enabled by default. He further alleged that he briefed Zuckerberg at least 100 times on issues including violent imagery and sexual predators but received no response.

Meta denies the allegations, with attorney Paul Schmidt arguing the company takes children's mental health seriously and has implemented safeguards like 2024's "Teen Accounts." The company maintains it has a responsibility to work with parents and teens to address social media struggles. If found liable, Meta faces potential financial penalties of up to $200 billion and court-ordered mandates to redesign its platforms. U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers will determine the final liability and penalties following a jury verdict.