Meta child safety trial opens in Oakland federal court

A federal trial against Meta Platforms over claims that Facebook and Instagram were designed to addict young users opened on August 18, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in Oakland.

California Deputy Attorney General Megan O'Neill told an eight-person advisory jury that Meta carried out a campaign to deceive users, legislatures, teachers and parents. She said the company researched how children's brains seek rewards and remain sensitive to social feedback while still developing impulse control.

O'Neill cited an internal Meta study titled "Long Term Retention: The Young Ones Are The Best Ones" that examined use by children around ages 10 to 12. She also referenced a 2016 email noting that the overall company goal for Instagram was "teen time spent" on the platform.

The four lead states are California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey. They represent a bipartisan group of 29 state attorneys general who sued Meta in October 2023. New York Attorney General Letitia James is among the larger coalition that has grown to more than 30 attorneys general.

The states allege Meta violated state consumer protection laws and the federal Children's Online Privacy Protection Act by collecting personal data from children under 13 without parental consent. They also claim the company failed to warn about known risks of anxiety, depression and other harms linked to compulsive use of the platforms.

Features at issue include infinite scroll, autoplay, beauty filters and the like button. Lawyers for the states have said they seek civil penalties, restitution and design changes that could include deleting personal data of under-13 users and removing certain elements that encourage extended time on the apps.

Meta has denied the allegations. A company spokesperson said Meta stands by its record of creating strong protections for teens. In opening statements, Meta lawyer Paul Schmidt asked the jury to examine whether the evidence proves the specific claims made by the states.

U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers is presiding. The jury is advisory only. The judge will decide liability and any remedies. The trial is expected to last six to eight weeks. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram head Adam Mosseri are expected to testify at some point during the proceedings.

In January 2025 the court rejected Meta's attempt to dismiss key parts of the case. In June 2026 the court rejected Meta's motion for summary judgment. Requests to stay the trial were denied by both the district court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, clearing the path for the case to proceed to trial.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta described the case after the first day as centered on civil penalties, restitution and distortion rather than pure damages. States have indicated figures around $200 billion. Meta has pointed in court filings to potential exposure near $1.4 trillion, a number close to the company's market capitalization.

The trial will test whether product design choices that keep users engaged longer cross into unlawful conduct when applied to minors. The result will shape how Meta and other platforms handle features that define daily use for hundreds of millions of young people across the United States.

Opening arguments took place in the same courthouse where Judge Gonzalez Rogers earlier this year handled high-profile technology litigation. The advisory jury will deliver a recommendation. The final decision on liability and remedies rests with the judge.