States seek $1.4 trillion from Meta over youth addiction claims

Meta Platforms disclosed in a court filing on July 6 that California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey are seeking $1.4 trillion in penalties over claims that Facebook and Instagram were designed to addict young users and that the company misled the public about their safety. The figure, which had not previously been disclosed, is close to Meta’s market capitalization of about $1.5 trillion.

Meta said the demand is unsupported by the evidence and argued that “a sanction of that size has no analog in the history of consumer protection enforcement.” During a June hearing, the states said they were calculating fines by multiplying the number of alleged violations by state-law penalty amounts, then applying that formula to the estimated number of teens and young users affected by Meta’s conduct.

The case is scheduled for August in Oakland, where jury selection is set to begin on August 12 and opening statements on August 18. California Attorney General Rob Bonta said on June 30 that the court fully denied Meta’s bid for summary judgment, clearing the case for trial. The suit is part of a broader multistate campaign that began in October 2023, when 32 attorneys general filed a bipartisan federal lawsuit accusing Meta of harmful features on Instagram and Facebook that addict children and teens; related filings and coordinated actions later involved 42 attorneys general.

Meta strongly disagrees with the allegations and expects the evidence to show its commitment to supporting young people. In March 2026, a New Mexico jury found it liable in a separate youth-harm case and ordered it to pay $375 million in civil penalties.