Overview
- Meta disclosed in a court filing that four states — California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey — are seeking up to $1.4 trillion in civil penalties tied to claims the company designed Facebook and Instagram to addict young users.
- The states told the court they calculated the figure by multiplying per‑violation fines in state consumer‑protection laws by an estimated headcount of affected teens and young users, a method revealed at a June hearing while the detailed filings remain sealed.
- Meta has moved to block or discount the calculation, arguing the requests are unsupported by evidence, improperly double‑count users, exceed legal norms and have no parallel in consumer‑protection history.
- U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers denied Meta’s bid to dismiss the case, keeping an August trial in Oakland that will also consider federal COPPA claims from 29 states about data collection from children.
- Earlier rulings and verdicts, including a $375 million award in New Mexico and smaller addiction rulings in California, mean the August trial could set key precedents on remedies, discovery into internal research and whether courts can force product changes to protect youth.