Opening statements begin on Tuesday in a major, multistate jury trial in the United States against Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, and which is facing a host of regulatory and legal actions in Europe and beyond.
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which → open → Europe
The US trial opening in the state of California, which could reportedly cost Meta $1.4 trillion in damages, alleges that the social media giant designed addictive social media platforms that are harming the mental health of young people and could significantly change the way these platforms operate if successful, experts say.
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experts → open → way
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court → belong → youths
appeals court says social media addiction lawsuits can proceed
US state attorneys general who are bringing the case also say they are concerned about how data on younger users is collected without consent from their guardians.
The case highlights several specific features of these platforms which, according to the attorneys general, specifically harm younger children, such as continuous scrolling and algorithm prompts.
With regulatory action ongoing in Europe and beyond, we look at the impact these cases could have on the workings of social media giants.
Who is suing Meta in the US and for what?
Twenty-nine US states have grouped to accuse Meta of designing its platforms in ways that “encourage addictive behaviour, fail to verify users’ ages, encourage adolescents to bypass parental controls, and inadequately safeguard against harmful content and/or intentionally amplify harmful and exploitive content”, according to the filings at the Court of Appeal in California, US.
Meta strongly denies the allegations.
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Meta → say → allegations
The first four of the states which filed a federal lawsuit against Meta in 2023 – California, Kentucky, Colorado and New Jersey – will begin outlining their cases on Tuesday.
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which → file → Tuesday
Besides damages, the attorneys general bringing the case are also asking the court to order that changes be made to Meta’s platforms to protect young social media users.
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changes → bring → users
Among other measures, they are demanding that Meta implement a process of parental verification for teenage users; change its “dopamine-manipulating” algorithms; remove image filters for users’ personal images; forbid the creation of multiple accounts; and end “disappearing” messages and posts.
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Meta → demand → messages
Jury selection was completed last week.
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selection → complete → ?
The trial is expected to run for about seven weeks, but extra time may be needed if there are unforeseen developments.
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time → expect → weeks
A verdict is unlikely to be the final word in the case, as Meta is expected to appeal any decision not in its favour.
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Meta → expect → favour
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is expected to testify in court, together with the head of Instagram.
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Zuckerberg → expect → Instagram
This will be the second time this year that the Facebook founder has testified, after his February 2026 appearance in a Los Angeles court over similar allegations against Meta.
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founder → testify → Meta
Meta lost that multimillion-dollar case, brought by a young woman referred to as KGM, over platform features linked to addiction in younger users, in March.
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Meta → lose → March
How important is this lawsuit and what outcome is expected?
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outcome → expect → ?
Sonia Livingstone, a professor at the London School of Economics and director of the Digital Futures for Children Centre, told Al Jazeera the case is highly significant.
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case → tell → Jazeera
“It seems unlikely Meta would completely transform the business model or completely remake the feed.
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Meta → seem → feed
But they will surely take some steps to reduce the problem,” she said.
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she → take → problem
Instead, Livingstone added, the tech company may choose to focus more on moderation and tweaking the platform for those aged below 18.
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company → add → 18
Nonprofit organisation 5Rights Foundation, which focuses on digital safety, said the case against Meta is an essential first step towards making tech safe for children.
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tech → focus → children
“Lawsuits like this can change the practices of tech companies, but only if they are backed by clear rules that are consistently and meaningfully enforced, with penalties large enough to impact their bottom line,” it told Al Jazeera.
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it → change → Jazeera
This is just the latest in a string of lawsuits being faced by Meta in the US.
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This → face → US
Earlier this month, a judge in New Mexico ordered Meta to pay $567m and change how its platforms function for young users in the state after ruling that the company was to blame for harming children’s mental health.
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company → order → health
The California case could go further, legal experts say.
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experts → go → ?
Julia Powles, executive director of the UCLA Institute for Technology, Law and Policy, told CNBC, “California matters more than any other jurisdiction in the US.
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California → tell → US
It’s where they are subject to the greatest legal reach, and it’s a jurisdiction watched around the world.”
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it → ’ → world
Another 14 US states are set to begin a separate trial against Meta in February 2027.
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states → set → February
Where else is Meta facing legal and regulatory challenges?
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Meta → face → challenges
While action against social media giants in the US is mostly taking the form of lawsuits, elsewhere it is regulators who are leading the charge.
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who → take → charge
The EU is pursuing several legal and regulatory cases against Meta, covering antitrust rules for artificial intelligence (AI) on WhatsApp, child safety protections and addictive platform features under the Digital Services Act (DSA).
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EU → pursue → Act
In 2024, EU regulators opened a formal investigation into Meta for potential breaches of online content rules relating to child safety on its Facebook and Instagram platforms.
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regulators → open → platforms
The European Commission (EC) said it was concerned that the algorithmic systems used by the popular social media platforms to recommend videos and posts could “exploit the weaknesses and inexperience” of children and stimulate “addictive behaviour”.
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systems → say → behaviour
Last month, the EC published preliminary findings of a two-year investigation into Meta, saying the company was in breach of the DSA.
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company → publish → DSA
It called on Meta to implement several design changes to curb “compulsive use”.
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It → call → use
The EU specifically accused the group of designing Facebook and Instagram to be “addictive”, and warned that it could face hefty fines if it continues to breach the bloc’s rules under the DSA.
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it → accuse → DSA
It also said Meta has failed to adequately assess the risks Instagram and Facebook pose to users’ physical and mental health.
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Instagram → say → health
In July, French lawmakers approved a plan to ban social media for children aged below 16 years from September, but the country’s Constitutional Council struck the ban down last week, saying it would impinge on free speech.
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it → approve → speech
The government will now form new legislation which will take this into account.
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which → form → account
In June this year, the UK government announced a sweeping ban on social media for those below 16 to come into force next year.
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government → announce → force
As well as a ban on sites such as TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram, the government said it plans actions against gaming and livestreaming services that allow children to talk to strangers.
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children → say → strangers
The regulation required to pass the ban is expected in December, while the UK is also considering overnight curfews and ways to prevent infinite scrolling for those younger than 18.
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UK → require → 18
…and 31 more, not listed.
The Aporia
