Jury selection began Monday in Nashville, Tennessee, in a lawsuit filed by the state against Meta Platforms. The state alleges that Meta's Instagram platform was intentionally designed to be addictive and that the company misled the public regarding the platform's impact on the mental health of younger users. Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti is seeking financial penalties and a court order to force modifications to features such as autoplay and notifications.
According to the lawsuit, Meta's internal research indicated potential harms to teenagers, but the company failed to disclose these findings. The state further claims that CEO Mark Zuckerberg declined to fund initiatives intended to minimize these harms despite internal warnings. Tennessee law allows for fines of up to $1,000 per violation of consumer protection statutes.
Meta has denied the allegations, stating it has spent a decade developing age-appropriate defaults and parental controls to provide a protected space for teenagers. The company argued in court filings that it is shielded from liability under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which protects internet platforms from being held responsible for content posted by third-party users.
The trial is expected to last seven weeks and is the second such case brought by a state to reach trial. Earlier this year, a New Mexico jury found Meta had misled consumers and awarded that state $375 million in damages. Meta faces similar legal challenges from nearly every other U.S. state, including a federal trial scheduled to begin in California in August.