Meta Faces Allegations of Hooked Kids in Landmark Trial
In a moving, seven‑month period, a federal jury in Oakland, California, is set to examine whether Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, deliberately hooked millions of 11‑ and 12‑year‑olds onto its platforms. A lawsuit filed by 29 U.S. states last year claims Meta ignored internal data indicating addictive design and that the platforms violate child privacy laws.
County lawyers for California open the case by citing thousands of internal documents—research reports, meetings with executives such as Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram head Adam Mosseri, and private emails. One report notes that “teens have an addict’s narrative about use,” another says “product features designed to increase time spent are inherently at odds with well‑being.”
In contrast, Meta’s lead attorney, Paul Schmidt, argues that the company has chosen not to be “addictive” and that it only has a “cancer” in its reserves of user data because privacy regulations prevent it from preserving age data needed to monitor under‑age usage.
Meta’s defense also insists that the concept of social media addiction is unproven and that the platform offers tools to help users manage their use. The company deems the states’ claims of deliberate hooking as “not proven.”
State attorneys accuse Meta of “luring” children and “harvesting” their data while publicly assuring safety, whereas Meta refutes that this active harm existed, citing that just over 100,000 under‑13 users were identified amid billions of presence.
The case is part of a broader push by states to require Meta to remove “likes” and the “infinite scroll” feature, changes the lawsuit alleges could reduce the compulsive use of Instagram. The jury’s decision could enforce new safety guidelines and shape future design decisions across the platform.
Click to explore the trial’s detailed timeline in the interactive visual below.
