A legal trial began Tuesday in California involving a coalition of states that accuse Meta of using deceptive platform designs to keep children on Facebook and Instagram. Representatives for California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey argued that the company intentionally designed features to maximize the time young users spend on social media while misleading the public about potential safety risks.
The trial follows a broader legal effort by a coalition of 29 states against the tech giant. While technology companies have historically been shielded from liability for third-party content under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, the states in this case are focusing on the internal design choices and corporate conduct of Meta itself rather than the content posted by users.
During opening arguments, Megan O’Neill, deputy attorney general for California, stated that Meta harvested data and tracked behavior to maintain user engagement for long-term profit. Meta’s legal counsel, Paul Schmidt, argued that the allegations are unsubstantiated and noted that issues like age verification are challenges affecting the entire social media industry. The company has urged the jury to wait for the full presentation of evidence over the expected six-week trial.
The case sets a significant legal precedent by testing whether state consumer protection laws can bypass Section 230 protections by targeting "product design" rather than "content hosting." If the states succeed, other technology companies providing services to minors may face similar litigation regarding their engineering choices. This trial follows previous legal setbacks for Meta, including a $6 million jury award in March involving Meta and YouTube, and $942 million in fines recently issued in New Mexico for violations of the state's Unfair Practices Act.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram head Adam Mosseri are expected to testify during the proceedings. The first witness called by the states, former Facebook engineering leader Arturo Bejar, testified Tuesday that the company adopted a "don't ask, don't tell" policy regarding underage users. The trial is scheduled to continue for approximately six weeks before a verdict is reached. Meta has already settled similar addiction-related claims with a Kentucky school district earlier this year, suggesting a shifting legal landscape for the industry.