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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Yes. Meta is facing multiple U.S. lawsuits alleging that Facebook and Instagram were designed to encourage compulsive use among young people and contributed to mental-health harms. The most immediate case is a federal trial in Oakland involving attorneys general from California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey. Jury selection began August 12, 2026, and opening statements were scheduled for August 18. The trial is not a finding that Meta broke the law or caused the alleged injuries.
What is happening in the Oakland trial?
The four states’ case is in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in Oakland. The states allege Meta used features such as recommendation systems, notifications, social feedback and endless feeds to keep minors engaged, despite knowing about potential risks. They also challenge Meta’s public statements about safety and allege that it collected information from children under 13 without legally required notice and parental consent. The states seek financial penalties and changes to Meta’s product design and business practices. California Attorney General’s trial update
The states have described a theoretical maximum financial exposure of roughly $1.4 trillion, according to reporting on a filing by Meta. That is a claimed ceiling, not a forecast of what a jury will award. Reuters report on the potential exposure
There is more than one Meta case
The Oakland proceeding is one part of a much larger litigation landscape, not a single lawsuit that covers every claim against Meta. The federal multidistrict litigation, known as In re: Social Media Adolescent Addiction/Personal Injury Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 3047, consolidates related claims involving Meta, Google/YouTube, TikTok and Snap for coordinated proceedings. Consolidation does not make the plaintiffs, claims or outcomes identical. MDL order on multistate attorney-general complaints
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- State attorneys general: Seek civil penalties and court orders addressing alleged deceptive or unfair practices and product conduct.
- School districts and local governments: Allege that social-media-related problems have increased expenses for counseling, crisis response, staffing and administration, and have affected attendance and classroom attention. These are institutional-cost claims, not individual injury cases. School-district and local-government complaint
- Young people and families: Individual plaintiffs allege that prolonged or compulsive use contributed to conditions such as depression, anxiety, eating disorders, self-harm, suicidal ideation, sleep disruption and academic difficulties. Each plaintiff still has to prove causation and individual damages.
References to hundreds or thousands of cases generally describe the broader industry litigation, not a count of claims against Meta alone. The states involved also vary by complaint and procedural stage; the four states in the Oakland trial should not be confused with every state that has participated in related litigation.
What laws and claims are at issue?
- Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA): The federal law concerns online collection of personal information from children under 13 and requirements including notice and parental consent. That age threshold is distinct from the broader allegations about teen safety and mental health.
- State consumer-protection and unfair-practices laws: The states argue that Meta misled consumers or acted unfairly in statements and conduct concerning young users and platform safety.
- Product-liability, negligence and public-nuisance theories: These appear in related individual and government claims; the precise claims and legal standards differ across cases.
On June 29, 2026, the federal judge issued an order addressing Meta’s request for summary judgment in the attorneys general case. The court did not end the case: factual disputes remain concerning alleged addiction, deception and COPPA’s application. That procedural ruling is not a final judgment that Meta violated COPPA or is liable for the states’ claims. Federal court order on the states’ claims
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What does “social media addiction” mean in this litigation?
The phrase is contested. The states use it to describe compulsive or difficult-to-control use and allege that platform design encouraged that behavior. Meta argues that “social media addiction” is not an established psychiatric diagnosis and disputes that its products meet a legal or medical definition of addiction. The court allowed claims to proceed despite Meta’s argument; that does not settle the terminology or prove that social media caused any particular person’s condition. Reuters report on Meta’s argument and the ruling
How the cases reached trial
- January 2022: Meta later described in an SEC filing that it began facing U.S. litigation alleging Facebook and Instagram caused social-media addiction and related harms, particularly among minors. Meta SEC filing
- 2023: State attorneys general brought a major federal case, while separate state actions and individual claims also developed.
- 2024: The MDL court issued procedural rulings allowing significant portions of the multistate litigation to continue. These rulings concerned how claims could proceed, not a final finding of liability. MDL court order
- February 2026: A separate state attorneys general proceeding began in New Mexico. It is not the Oakland federal case.
- March 2026: A Los Angeles jury found Meta and Google liable in a separate individual case and awarded damages. That verdict does not decide the states’ claims in Oakland, and appeals are expected. Report on the Los Angeles verdict
- June 2026: The federal judge denied Meta’s effort to obtain summary judgment ending the attorneys general case.
- August 2026: Jury selection began August 12 in Oakland; opening statements were scheduled for August 18.
How Meta is responding
Meta disputes the states’ account of its products and the causes of teen mental-health problems. Its position is that youth well-being is shaped by many factors, including family dynamics, academic pressure and school safety; that plaintiffs rely on internal documents or statements selectively; and that the company has introduced protections for younger users. It also challenges the characterization of its platforms as addictive.
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Meta says Instagram Teen Accounts include private-by-default settings, limits on who can contact teens, content restrictions and parental time controls. In 2026 it also announced age-assurance measures intended to identify likely teen accounts and apply Teen Account protections. These are Meta’s descriptions of its measures, not a court finding that they are adequate or that earlier practices complied with the law. Meta on Teen Accounts and parental safeguards · Meta’s age-assurance announcement
What could the trial change?
A verdict for the states could lead to civil penalties or court-ordered changes to business practices and product design. Depending on the claims and remedies at issue, changes could concern age assurance, data collection, recommendations, notifications, parental controls or disclosures. A verdict for Meta could narrow or weaken the states’ claims, but would not automatically dispose of every individual, school-district or other state case.
Either outcome could influence settlement discussions and later bellwether trials, but it would not automatically decide other plaintiffs’ cases. Appeals are also possible. The practical stakes therefore extend beyond the four states, while each related case remains governed by its own plaintiffs, evidence and legal claims.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the Oakland case does—and does not—establish
The trial tests whether the states can prove their allegations under consumer-protection, privacy and related legal theories. Its opening is not proof that Meta caused teen mental-health harms, that “addiction” is a settled diagnosis, or that the company violated COPPA in every instance. Those questions remain for the evidence, the jury and any later appeals.
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