Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Opening arguments began Tuesday in a federal trial that pits a bipartisan coalition of state attorneys general against Meta, with states alleging the company’s social media platforms are addictive to children and harm their mental health.
Attorneys general from 29 states brought the lawsuit, led by California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey. While 29 states filed the federal action, the trial itself features those four states. They are seeking financial penalties and changes to how Facebook and Instagram operate, arguing Meta contributed to a youth mental health crisis by knowingly designing addictive features.
In U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on Tuesday, Deputy California Attorney General Meghan O’Neill told jurors Meta’s business model can be summed up in four parts: hook users, hold them as long as possible, harvest their data, and hide the truth from the public.
What you're going to hear in this trial is how Meta hooked kids on its platforms, Instagram and Facebook. It designed those platforms so that kids kept coming back,” O’Neill said.
Meta has pushed back on the allegations. In a statement provided to The National News Desk, a company spokesperson said, "The State AGs may call this a landmark case, but their limited claims are unsubstantiated and their financial demands are vastly disproportionate. The AGs offer no proof anyone in their states was misled, claim benign features like having an additional Instagram account somehow harmed their residents, and attempt to penalize Meta for industry-wide challenges like age verification. Rather than sticking to the facts or the law, the states have instead decided to chase an outlandish payout. We stand by our record of creating strong protections for teens, and look forward to making our case in court."
Multiple outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, reported prior to the trial that the four states are seeking $1.4 trillion in damages. After opening statements Tuesday, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the states are not seeking that amount and that the judge will decide what the financial penalty will be.
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Opening arguments began Tuesday in a federal trial that pits a bipartisan coalition of state attorneys general against Meta, with states alleging the company’s social media platforms are addictive to children and harm their mental health.
Attorneys general from 29 states brought the lawsuit, led by California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey. While 29 states filed the federal action, the trial itself features those four states. They are seeking financial penalties and changes to how Facebook and Instagram operate, arguing Meta contributed to a youth mental health crisis by knowingly designing addictive features.
In U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on Tuesday, Deputy California Attorney General Meghan O’Neill told jurors Meta’s business model can be summed up in four parts: hook users, hold them as long as possible, harvest their data, and hide the truth from the public.
What you're going to hear in this trial is how Meta hooked kids on its platforms, Instagram and Facebook. It designed those platforms so that kids kept coming back,” O’Neill said.
Meta has pushed back on the allegations. In a statement provided to The National News Desk, a company spokesperson said, "The State AGs may call this a landmark case, but their limited claims are unsubstantiated and their financial demands are vastly disproportionate. The AGs offer no proof anyone in their states was misled, claim benign features like having an additional Instagram account somehow harmed their residents, and attempt to penalize Meta for industry-wide challenges like age verification. Rather than sticking to the facts or the law, the states have instead decided to chase an outlandish payout. We stand by our record of creating strong protections for teens, and look forward to making our case in court."
Multiple outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, reported prior to the trial that the four states are seeking $1.4 trillion in damages. After opening statements Tuesday, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the states are not seeking that amount and that the judge will decide what the financial penalty will be.
_______________
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KOMO News (ABC 4) provides the latest breaking news, sports, weather, traffic, and local event coverage in the Seattle and Western Washington/Puget Sound area, including Bellevue, Redmond, Renton, Kent, Tacoma, Bellingham, Yakima, and surrounding communities.
This video and all Sinclair Broadcast Group content archives of local news and sports coverage are available for your use. For more information, contact us at contentsales@sbgtv.com
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