Archive · 19 Aug 2026
Meta Faces US Trial Over Alleged Social Media Addiction
Twenty-nine US states are taking Meta to court over Facebook and Instagram.
They say the platforms were designed to keep children and teenagers coming back repeatedly.
The states are concerned that features such as notifications, recommendations and endless scrolling may hurt young people’s mental health.
They want Meta to pay as much as $200 billion.
They also want changes such as stronger age checks and more parental controls.
Meta says the states have not proved their case and that it already works to protect young users.
The trial could change how the platforms are designed for children.
It could also influence rules for social-media companies in other countries.
Twenty-nine US states accuse Meta of designing Facebook and Instagram to encourage addictive use among young people.
The states say recommendations, notifications, infinite scrolling and other features may harm children’s and teenagers’ mental health.
The coalition is seeking up to $200 billion in damages and changes to Meta’s platform features.
Meta denies the allegations, says the states have not proved their claims, and calls the financial demands disproportionate.
A ruling could affect Meta’s engagement-driven advertising model and influence social-media regulation in other countries.
- Who
- Twenty-nine US states are suing Meta, which denies the allegations.
- What
- The states accuse Meta of designing Facebook and Instagram to encourage addictive use among children and teenagers and seek damages and platform changes.
- When
- The trial is taking place at the time described in the article; no specific date is provided.
- Where
- California, United States.
- Why
- The states say Meta’s platform designs can encourage compulsive use and harm young people’s mental health.
State Coalition’s Position
Meta’s Position
Platform design and addiction
State Coalition’s Position
The states argue that Meta knowingly used features designed to maximise engagement and encourage compulsive use among young people.
Meta’s Position
Meta denies the allegations and says the states have not proved that its products were deliberately designed to cause addictive use.
Protection of young users
State Coalition’s Position
The states seek stronger age verification, parental controls, notification limits and other safeguards for children and teenagers.
Meta’s Position
Meta says it has invested heavily in protecting young people online.
Financial consequences
State Coalition’s Position
The states are seeking as much as $200 billion in damages, alongside operational changes.
Meta’s Position
Meta says the states’ financial demands are disproportionate; it has also disputed related findings in other cases.
- Plaintiffs
- A coalition of 29 US states
- Defendant
- Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram
- Damages sought
- Up to $200 billion
- Features under scrutiny
- Personalised recommendations, infinite scrolling, autoplay, push notifications and visible like counts
- Requested remedies
- Stronger age verification, parental controls, notification restrictions and changes to recommendation algorithms
- Meta’s position
- Meta denies the allegations and says the financial demands are disproportionate
- Potential business impact
- Changes that reduce user engagement could affect advertising activity, which provides most of Meta’s revenue