Meta Faces Child Addiction Trial

A federal trial against Meta began Aug. 18 in Oakland, California, where 29 state attorneys general accuse the company of designing Facebook and Instagram to addict children and misrepresenting youth-safety risks. The states are pursuing civil penalties and restitution under state consumer-protection laws and the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, while Meta has denied the claims and estimated potential penalties could reach $1.4 trillion. Former Meta engineering director Arturo Béjar testified that Instagram used a “don’t ask, don’t tell” approach to users under 13 and prioritized growth over safety.