Overview
- The multi‑state lawsuit filed by 29 attorneys general goes before Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers with the trial set to begin Tuesday, and four states — California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey — are pressing the case first.
- The court has given plaintiffs key procedural wins by allowing whistleblower Arturo Béjar to testify and permitting select internal documents to be shown at opening statements, strengthening the states’ ability to tie designs to people.
- A prior order required Meta to produce metadata that links internal files to specific employees, which could make it easier for prosecutors to prove who created or approved contested features like infinite scroll and autoplay.
- States say Meta violated child‑privacy law and crafted psychologically manipulative features that harmed youth mental health, while Meta denies the claims, disputes causation, and argues the states’ damage estimates are wildly excessive.
- If plaintiffs prevail the court could order widespread product and policy changes and award large damages, a result that would shape thousands of related suits and affect how children’s data and time online are regulated.