A landmark trial is set to begin in California on Tuesday, where four US states - California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey - will argue that Meta's social media platforms, including Instagram and Facebook, have caused harm to children. The states allege that Meta misled the public about the safety of its apps and deliberately made them addictive for minors, and are seeking around $200 billion in damages. Meta's founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg is expected to testify as a witness, along with former employee Arturo Bejar. The trial is expected to last six to eight weeks, with a verdict expected by October.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-18,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
A landmark trial began in California to hold Meta accountable for allegedly harming children with its social media platforms, Instagram and Facebook. Four US states - California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey - are suing the company, accusing it of misleading the public about the safety of these apps and deliberately making them addictive to minors. The states claim that Meta is violating privacy laws by collecting data on children under 13 without their parents' consent. They are seeking around $200 billion in damages as well as significant changes to Meta's core platforms. During opening statements, California prosecutor Megan O'Neill painted Meta's business model as one intended to "hook the users" and harvest their data. Meta's lawyer acknowledged that some users had negative experiences on the apps but argued that the company had tried to come up with tools to help them. The trial is expected to be a significant test of social media companies' responsibility for the harm caused by their platforms. Mark Zuckerberg, Meta's founder and CEO, is expected to testify during the proceedings.
Written for “Meta Social Media Lawsuits” on 2026-08-31,
grounded in this article and the 4 other(s) covering the same event.
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Leaning score -0.60 for article 978 (low confidence, 0 verified quotes) · logged 2026-08-25
A landmark trial seeking to hold Meta accountable for the alleged harm its social media platforms cause children is set to begin in California on Tuesday.
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platforms → seek → Tuesday
Four US states, California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey, argue the company misled the public about the safety of Instagram and Facebook and deliberately made the apps addictive for minors.
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apps → argue → minors
Lawyers for the states also allege Meta is violating privacy laws by routinely collecting data on children under 13 without their parents' consent.
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Meta → allege → consent
The states are seeking around $200 billion (€173 billion) in damages as well as significant changes to Meta's core platforms.
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states → seek → platforms
They are part of a coalition of 29 states that sued the tech giant in 2023 for allegedly building addictive features into its apps.
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that → sue → apps
What to expect during the trial
Opening statements were set to get underway in the federal court in Oakland, a short drive from San Francisco, on Tuesday.
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statements → expect → Tuesday
Among the star witnesses expected to testify during the proceedings is Meta founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg.
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Zuckerberg → expect → proceedings
Former Meta employee and expert witness Arturo Bejar is also expected to testify, despite the company's efforts to block his appearance.
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Bejar → expect → appearance
According to court documents, lawyers for the states are to question him for three hours about Meta's safety practices and whether the company publicly misrepresented what it knew.
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Eight people are serving on an advisory jury, but the final decision in the case rests with Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers.
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decision → serve → Rogers
What have both sides said about the case?
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Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman described the case as "the largest consumer protection lawsuit in American history.
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"
"We'll show a jury that Meta concealed what it knew about the harm its products cause young people because looking away was more profitable," he said in a statement.
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he → show → statement
Meta, meanwhile, said it strongly disagreed with the allegations.
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it → say → allegations
"We are proud of our record in protecting teens on our platforms and the amount of effort that we've put into developing protections over the years, even before these cases were ever filed," the company said.
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company → protect → years
"We look forward to showing the judge and the jury those facts in court," it added.
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it → look → court
The trial is set to last six to eight weeks, with a verdict expected by October.
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verdict → set → October
Edited by: Louis Oelofse
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algorithm → edit → news
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you → rely → news
