Story perspectives

States Sue Meta Over Addictive Facebook, Instagram Design

8/20/2026

Summary

Story summary

California and other states sued Meta, alleging it designed Facebook and Instagram to addict minors.
Attorney General Meghan O’Neill opened the Oakland trial, calling Meta’s model “hook, hold, harvest, hide.”
An eight-person jury will hear testimony from Mark Zuckerberg and Adam Mosseri.
States request up to $1.4 trillion in civil penalties and age-limit protections for minors.
Meta contends its safety features, default minor privacy, and age-verification issues render the claims unsubstantiated.

History

Historical Context

Congress passed the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act in 1998, effective in 2000, to require parental consent before collecting data from users under 13. The FTC has levied fines such as a $170 million penalty against YouTube in 2019 for COPPA violations. California Attorney General Meghan O’Neill has filed a civil suit against Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg and Adam Mosseri alleging that Facebook and Instagram addict minors.

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Story summary

California and other states sued Meta, alleging it designed Facebook and Instagram to addict minors.
Attorney General Meghan O’Neill opened the Oakland trial, calling Meta’s model “hook, hold, harvest, hide.”
An eight-person jury will hear testimony from Mark Zuckerberg and Adam Mosseri.
States request up to $1.4 trillion in civil penalties and age-limit protections for minors.
Meta contends its safety features, default minor privacy, and age-verification issues render the claims unsubstantiated.

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