Attorneys for the state of Tennessee told a Nashville jury on Monday that Meta Platforms’ leadership ignored internal research regarding Instagram’s effects on teenagers to prioritize advertising revenue. During opening statements for the seven-week trial, the state argued that the company’s own researchers warned that features such as infinite scroll and autoplay contributed to compulsive use and mental health issues among young users. Meta countered that it has been transparent about online risks and actively develops tools to mitigate problematic platform use.
The lawsuit, brought by Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti’s office, is part of a broader legal effort involving nearly every U.S. state. While dozens of states have consolidated their claims in federal court in San Francisco, Tennessee is among several pursuing litigation in its own state court. This is the second such state-level case to reach a jury trial, following a similar legal action in New Mexico earlier this year.
Lawyers for Tennessee presented internal Meta documents from 2017 in which product managers noted that specific notification features were "at odds with well-being." The state argued these features were intentionally kept to maximize the amount of time users spent viewing ads. Meta’s legal team responded by stating that such internal documents prove the company is diligent in identifying and addressing platform flaws. They argued that teen safety is a "shared responsibility" involving parents and educators rather than the sole burden of the tech company.
The scale of this litigation is substantial, involving potential financial liabilities for Meta that reach into the hundreds of millions of dollars. In a previous similar case, a New Mexico jury ordered the company to pay $375 million over child safety concerns. Nationally, Meta is facing "thousands" of lawsuits from individual families and school districts seeking damages for mental health treatment costs and administrative burdens. For a single state like Tennessee, a victory would establish a precedent that could force Meta to implement state-specific interface changes or reach a multi-billion dollar national settlement to avoid inconsistent regulations across different borders.
The legal proceedings will conclude after approximately seven weeks of testimony. If the jury finds Meta liable for violating state consumer protection or safety laws, Chancellor Russell Perkins will then preside over a second phase to determine the specific dollar amount of penalties and the exact nature of the required platform modifications. A final decision on these remedies is expected later this year, which could set the standard for how social media companies must disclose internal research and design their algorithms for minor users moving forward.