A federal court in Oakland, Calif. will hear out four states, including California, argument that Meta platforms are addictive for underage users.

Meta might need to make some changes. California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey are seeking over a trillion dollars from Meta for their alleged harm to children, claiming that the platforms are “addictive” and the increase in amount spent online can alter a child’s mental health.

The harrowing allegations against Meta

The trial begins Aug. 18 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The lawsuit alleges that Meta violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, among other consumer protection acts, by collecting data from minors under the age of 13 and using that to design the platform for excessive use.

This overuse of time online, the lawsuit alleges, is tied to “depression, anxiety, eating disorders, susceptibility to addiction and interference with daily life,” as well as the children’s academics.

“Meta designed Facebook and Instagram to keep kids on the platforms longer and longer — to the point of physical and mental harm. Exploiting our most vulnerable residents to boost corporate profits is not only morally wrong, it’s also illegal,”  California Attorney General Rob Bonta said. 

A coalition of 29 state attorneys general signed off on the lawsuit originally filed in 2023. The four attorneys general joining Bonta in the litigation process are: Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman and New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport.

Data privacy and mental health are one and the same, the lawsuit alleges. By collecting data from minors, including what they choose to interact with and how, the coalition argues that Meta designs the platform to capture and keep their attention. As minors spend more time on the platform, advertisements become more targeted.

“Meta’s representations about its Recommendation Algorithms do not effectively apprise young users of the reality that Meta is harvesting vast amounts of personal data to train its Recommendation Algorithms to induce them to keep using the Platforms,” the lawsuit states.

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Additionally, the lawsuit states that minors are periodically exposed to “psychologically and emotionally gripping content” featuring eating disorders, violence, self-harm and an overall theme of bullying that only further intensifies their engagement.

“Meta knew its platforms could harm young people, yet continued practices designed to keep them hooked — sacrificing sleep, being distracted in school, and even considering suicide — because more time online meant more money for Meta,” Weiser said.

Meta can’t catch a break

Earlier this month, Meta lost a lawsuit filed by New Mexico state prosecutors that alleged Meta violated the Unfair Practices Act and engaged in “unconscionable” practices that took advantage of children’s inexperience in navigating the platform. Similar to the current lawsuit against Meta, the suit alleged that the company violated consumer protection laws.

New Mexico Judge Bryan Biedscheid ordered the social media company to pay $567 million for its impact on minor users. $420 million of the sum was ordered to be directed towards mental health treatment programs for minors over the next five years. This is in addition to the $375 million in civil penalties from an earlier phase in the case, which found Meta concealed their knowledge of mental health issues and child sexual exploitation documented in internal warnings.

In March earlier this year, a Los Angeles Superior Court found that both Meta and YouTube were responsible for causing stress on minors’ mental health through its additive algorithm. The then 20-year-old plaintiff known as KGM testified that she became addicted to social media as a child, which worsened her mental health. KGM was awarded $6 million in damages, and the case set a precedent for social media addiction suits.

What would happen?

The California lawsuit is the largest consumer protection lawsuit in history. If Meta were to lose the case, it could potentially lead to the company’s bankruptcy. The $1.4 trillion is almost as high as its outstanding shares on the stock market, Meta disclosed in a legal filing.

The company, however, states that the penalty is “untethered to any claimed violation,” meaning that even if Meta were to be found guilty, the penalty is unjustifiably high.