California Leads 29-State Lawsuit Trial Against Meta Platforms

California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced that a multistate lawsuit against Meta Platforms Inc. will begin trial on Tuesday. The case serves as a bellwether action involving 29 states, with California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey leading the litigation.

Bonta alleges that Meta intentionally designed Facebook and Instagram with addictive features, such as infinite scroll, autoplay, and algorithmic feeds, despite knowing these tools caused anxiety, depression, and body image issues in children. He specifically accused Meta leadership of overruling internal warnings regarding a plastic surgery filter that harmed young girls to prioritize profit.

Comparing the company's conduct to the tobacco and opioid industries, Bonta claims Meta lied to the public about product safety. The states are seeking financial penalties, disgorgement, and restitution, along with injunctive relief to force the removal of harmful product features.