Overview
- Opening arguments began Tuesday in federal court in Oakland before Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in a case led by California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey as part of a 29‑state coalition.
- States say Meta intentionally built features such as infinite scroll, autoplay, like counts and recommendation algorithms to maximize young users’ time and that the company collected data on children under 13 in violation of federal law.
- Prosecutors are seeking sweeping structural remedies for under‑18 accounts — for example removing like counts, ending infinite scroll, changing recommendation systems and adding parental verification — along with civil penalties that plaintiffs place as high as $1.4 trillion.
- Meta denies the allegations, calls the demands disproportionate, and is preparing to call executives including Mark Zuckerberg and Adam Mosseri to testify in its defense.
- Legal experts view the Oakland trial as a bellwether after recent state rulings in Los Angeles and New Mexico that found against Meta and ordered monetary relief, and a ruling here could shape future regulation, platform design and thousands of related lawsuits.