Meta prepares to fight thousands of lawsuits against the company

Meta is set to face a major jury trial over allegations that Facebook and Instagram were designed to keep young users engaged despite potential risks to their wellbeing. A group of state attorneys general accuses the company of using features such as the “like” button, infinite scrolling and recommendation algorithms to maximize engagement and advertising revenue. The states argue that these features can encourage excessive use among children and teenagers, affecting their education, sleep and overall wellbeing.

The lawsuit also alleges that Instagram’s visual filters may contribute to eating disorders and body dysmorphia among vulnerable young users. Another key allegation is that children under 13 were allowed to access Meta’s platforms and that their personal information was collected without proper parental consent, potentially violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey are among the states pursuing legal action, with potential penalties and other remedies reportedly reaching as high as $1.4 trillion.

Meta has rejected the allegations, arguing that the states have not shown that consumers were misled and defending its existing protections for teenagers. The company also maintains that issues such as age verification affect the wider social media industry and should not be treated as evidence of wrongdoing by Meta alone. The trial comes as social media companies face a growing wave of lawsuits accusing them of designing platforms in ways that can encourage addictive behavior among young users.

Last week, a U.S. appeals court allowed thousands of similar lawsuits involving Meta, Google, TikTok, Snapchat and other companies to move forward. The companies had argued that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act protected them from certain claims, while plaintiffs maintained that the law does not shield companies from allegations concerning how their platforms are designed and operated.

The proceedings could reveal what Meta knew about the potential effects of its products on children, when it knew about those risks and how it responded. Meta has already faced a major legal setback in New Mexico, where it was ordered to pay hundreds of millions of dollars toward addressing alleged mental health harms among teenagers and make changes to its platforms. Thousands of related cases in California have also been consolidated into multidistrict litigation to streamline evidence collection and court proceedings.

The California cases are being overseen by Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers and could have significant consequences for the future of social media regulation. With Meta’s market value approaching $1.5 trillion, the legal battle represents one of the company’s most serious challenges over youth safety and platform design. The outcome could ultimately influence how major technology companies develop engagement features, verify users’ ages and protect children online.