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29 States Sue Meta Over COPPA Data Collection

8/20/2026

49 9 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

U.S. states sued Meta, alleging Facebook and Instagram addict children, opening trial Tuesday in Oakland.
California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey lead a coalition of 29 states in the case.
The states allege Meta violated COPPA by collecting data on users under 13 without parental consent.
Plaintiffs seek roughly $200 billion in damages, with some filings requesting up to $1.4 trillion in penalties.

History

Historical Context

Congress passed the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act in 1998, effective April 21 2000, to require parental consent for data from users under 13. After the FTC fined Google $170 million in 2019 for tracking 3.5 million child accounts, 29 states—including California and New Jersey—have sued Meta for similar alleged violations, reviving calls for stricter federal privacy rules.

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Story summary

U.S. states sued Meta, alleging Facebook and Instagram addict children, opening trial Tuesday in Oakland.
California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey lead a coalition of 29 states in the case.
The states allege Meta violated COPPA by collecting data on users under 13 without parental consent.
Plaintiffs seek roughly $200 billion in damages, with some filings requesting up to $1.4 trillion in penalties.

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