Social Media Addiction Litigation Heats Up as Meta Faces Trials in California and Tennessee

Meta is now defending itself in two major trials over allegations that its social media platforms were designed in ways that harm children and teenagers, as litigation over alleged social media addiction continues to intensify across the country.

Opening statements began August 18 in federal court in Oakland, California, in a closely watched case involving claims brought by California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey. The states are part of a larger coalition that sued Meta in 2023, alleging the company used features designed to keep young users engaged while failing to adequately disclose potential risks to children and teens.

The Oakland proceedings are expected to last approximately six weeks. U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers is overseeing the trial, which is being heard with an advisory jury.

The case represents another significant test of claims against Meta and other technology companies in the growing nationwide litigation over social media addiction.

States Tell Jury “Profits Won” as Oakland Trial Opens

Opening statements began August 18 with the states and Meta presenting sharply different accounts of the company’s efforts to protect children and teenagers using Facebook and Instagram.

California Deputy Attorney General Megan O’Neill, speaking on behalf of the state attorneys general, told jurors that Meta built its business model around attracting young users, keeping them engaged, and collecting data that could be used to serve advertising. The states allege Meta knew children and teenagers were particularly vulnerable to compulsive social media use but continued to prioritize engagement and growth.

“Time and time again, profits won,” O’Neill told the jury, according to Law360.

The states contend that Meta studied the behavior and development of young users and used that knowledge to design platforms that would keep them coming back. They also allege Meta failed to adequately disclose internal findings about negative experiences among younger users and did not take sufficient steps to prevent children under 13 from maintaining accounts.

Among the evidence previewed during opening statements was an analysis the states say used Meta’s own data to identify millions of underage users. According to the states, their expert is expected to testify that approximately 4.6 million children under 13 used Instagram and another 3.9 million used Facebook during the period examined.

O’Neill also argued that Meta’s financial success depends heavily on capturing users’ time and attention because advertising accounts for much of the company’s revenue. The states contend that young users were especially valuable because attracting them early could potentially keep them on Meta’s platforms for years.

Meta strongly disputes the states’ characterization.

Paul Schmidt of Covington & Burling, representing Meta, told jurors that evidence will show the company spent years developing and improving tools intended to protect younger users. Meta’s defense is expected to highlight parental resources, time-management features, efforts to identify and remove underage accounts, and other safety measures introduced between 2018 and 2024.

Meta also argues that determining users’ ages presents challenges across the technology industry and that requiring identification to verify age can raise privacy concerns. The company maintains that it has invested significantly in youth safety and has worked to address concerns as they have emerged.

The competing opening statements established what is likely to be a central dispute throughout the trial: whether Meta knowingly prioritized engagement and advertising revenue over youth safety, as the states allege, or whether the company’s actions demonstrate sustained efforts to address complex safety problems affecting the entire social media industry.

Former Meta Employee Testifies About Youth Safety Concerns

Following opening statements, the states called former Meta employee and consultant Arturo Bejar as their first witness.

Bejar testified about concerns he developed regarding the way Meta measured and communicated harmful experiences on its platforms. He discussed a 2021 survey known as the Bad Experiences and Encounters Framework, or BEEF, which examined negative experiences reported by Meta users.

According to testimony reported by Law360, the survey included more than 230,000 users. Among respondents ages 13 to 15, approximately 27% reported experiencing bullying during a one-week period, while 19.2% reported unwanted nudity, 12.8% reported violence, and 13% reported unwanted advances.

Bejar testified that he believed those findings were inconsistent with the impression created by some of Meta’s publicly reported safety statistics.

He also described his personal experience after his teenage daughter joined Instagram and allegedly received unwanted sexual advances, nudity, and harassment from strangers. Bejar testified that parents should be better informed about the likelihood that their children could encounter harmful experiences on social media.

His testimony is expected to continue as the states present evidence they say will demonstrate that Meta knew more about risks to young users than it disclosed publicly.

Federal Social Media Addiction Litigation Moves Forward

The Oakland trial is part of the federal Social Media Adolescent Addiction multidistrict litigation, MDL No. 3047, pending in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

Thousands of claims involving Meta, TikTok, Google, and Snap have been consolidated into a federal lawsuit. Plaintiffs generally allege that platforms including Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Snapchat were designed with features that encourage compulsive use among children and adolescents and contributed to mental health injuries.

The current Meta trial is particularly significant because it is the first trial arising from the federal multidistrict litigation involving claims brought by state attorneys general. The broader federal case includes claims brought by 29 states, although California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey are pursuing the claims being presented in this trial.

The MDL also includes personal injury claims, as well as litigation involving school districts and other plaintiffs.

The proceedings come as social media companies face increasing scrutiny in both federal and state courts across the country.

Tennessee Trial Against Meta Is Also Underway

At the same time Meta prepares for the federal trial in California, the company is already defending itself in a separate trial underway in Tennessee.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti sued Meta in 2023, alleging that Instagram was intentionally designed to encourage compulsive use among teenagers and that the company misled the public about the platform’s safety. The state alleges that those practices violated the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act.

The Tennessee trial began in Nashville in July and is expected to last several weeks.

During opening statements, attorneys for Tennessee argued that Meta’s own researchers had raised concerns about compulsive Instagram use and potential harm to teenagers, including depression, eating disorders, and self-harm. The state alleges that Meta continued using engagement-focused features despite those concerns.

Meta disputes Tennessee’s allegations. Its attorneys have argued that internal research and company documents demonstrate Meta’s efforts to identify potential problems and develop solutions intended to make its platforms safer for young users.

The Tennessee case is one of several state-level lawsuits moving forward separately from the federal multidistrict litigation. Its outcome could provide another important indication of how juries respond to claims involving alleged addictive social media design.

Social Media Companies Face Growing Legal Pressure

The California and Tennessee proceedings follow several major developments in social media addiction litigation this year.

In March, a California jury found Meta and Google liable in a bellwether case brought by a young woman who alleged she became addicted to their platforms as a child. The jury awarded approximately $6 million in damages. Meta and Google have appealed the verdict.

More recently, TikTok reached agreements in principle to settle three lawsuits brought by teenagers who alleged the platform’s design contributed to serious mental health injuries. Those settlements came ahead of additional California bellwether trials currently scheduled for October. Claims against Meta, Google, and Snap in those cases remain pending.

Meta has also faced significant consequences in New Mexico. In August, a state court ordered the company to pay $567 million toward programs addressing harms to young people, in addition to $375 million in civil penalties previously imposed following a March trial. Meta has said it will appeal.

Together, these cases are putting increasing focus on whether social media companies can be held legally responsible for platform features that plaintiffs allege encourage compulsive use among children and teenagers.

What Happens Next?

The Oakland federal trial is now underway and is expected to continue for approximately six weeks. The states are expected to present internal Meta documents, testimony from former employees, expert analysis, and other evidence concerning underage users, platform engagement, and Meta’s representations about youth safety.

Meta will have the opportunity to present evidence concerning its safety initiatives and efforts to identify and address risks involving younger users. The company denies the states’ allegations.

The trial is being heard with an advisory jury, meaning U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers will ultimately make the court’s findings while considering the jury’s conclusions.

The Tennessee trial is also continuing, meaning Meta is simultaneously defending its practices in two major courtrooms.

The outcomes could have implications well beyond the individual cases. Thousands of lawsuits involving alleged social media addiction and youth mental health injuries remain pending across the country, including more than 3,000 cases in coordinated California state court litigation.

As these trials move forward, courts and juries will continue considering a central question in the nationwide litigation: whether social media companies can be held responsible for allegedly designing platforms that encourage compulsive use among young people while failing to adequately warn families about potential risks.

Levin Papantonio’s Part in Social Media Addiction Litigation

Levin Papantonio is actively involved in pursuing claims on behalf of families affected by alleged social media addiction and related harms. Attorney Emmie Paulos has served on the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee for the federal Social Media Adolescent Addiction Personal Injury Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 3047, since 2022.

Sources: Law360, Law360, Reuters, WSMV

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