Meta faces major legal battle in children's mental health lawsuit
In a lawsuit filed by 29 US states, Meta is accused of using designs that make young people addicted and collecting children's data without authorization.
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One of the comprehensive lawsuits filed against Meta in the US over its impact on children's mental health is expected to be heard in California on August 18. The case is considered one of the largest legal proceedings directed at technology companies regarding the impact of social media platforms on children and adolescents.
According to reports in the US press, California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey—four of the 29 states that filed the lawsuit against Meta—will be the plaintiffs in the first hearing. It is stated that the cases of the other 25 states will be addressed at later dates.
In the case to be heard in Oakland, California, Meta is accused of designing platforms like Instagram and Facebook to make young users addicted, negatively affecting children's mental health, and collecting data on children under 13 without parental consent.
State attorneys general argue that the company structures its social media products to keep young users' attention constantly on the platform and uses this to increase its revenue. In addition to compensation claims that could reportedly reach 1.4 trillion dollars, the plaintiffs are also demanding changes to the way Meta operates Facebook and Instagram.
DEMANDED CHANGES
The regulations requested within the scope of the lawsuit include obtaining parental consent for young users, changing algorithms, removing filters that alter appearance, ending the automatic playback of videos, and preventing users from opening multiple accounts.
The plaintiff states also demand the removal of content sharing that disappears after a certain period, such as stories on Instagram. These demands stand out as part of a broader debate regarding the impact of social media platforms on child safety and the digital habits of young people.
Meta denies the allegations. In a statement from the company, it was argued that the evidence would show that Meta supports young people. In a filing Meta made to the US District Court for the Northern District of California on July 6, the phrase "There is no precedent in the history of consumer protection sanctions for a sanction of this magnitude" was used regarding potential penalties.
Speaking to ABC News, law professor James Grimmelmann assessed that while the court has broad discretion regarding fines, it is unlikely that the penalty would approach 1.4 trillion dollars. Grimmelmann said that a sanction of this scale could drive Meta to bankruptcy and lead to outcomes such as the company coming under state ownership, which he noted seems highly unlikely.
Meta has recently been on the agenda with lawsuits and regulatory debates regarding children's online safety. On August 7, a judge in New Mexico ordered the company to pay 567 million dollars in damages due to its responsibility in the children's mental health crisis.
Instagram announced its "Teen Accounts" application, which includes restrictions and safety measures for young users, in September 2024, and announced in April 2025 that users under 16 would not be able to start live broadcasts without parental permission and would not be able to turn off the automatic blurring feature in private messages.