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Jury selection commenced Wednesday in a federal courtroom in Oakland, California, as Meta Platforms faces allegations that its social media services have damaged youth mental health and unlawfully tracked minors. The trial, which opens next week, is projected to extend between six and eight weeks as prosecutors present evidence of systematic harm to young users.
The case brings together 29 states in a multidistrict lawsuit initiated in 2023, though this particular trial involves only four jurisdictions: California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey. Eight additional states have pursued separate litigation in their own court systems, with Tennessee currently conducting an active trial against the company.
The federal complaint alleges that Meta systematically gathers personal information from children under 13 without parental authorization, violating established federal privacy protections. Prosecutors contend the company deliberately engineered its platforms to captivate and manipulate young users while concealing documented mental health dangers and child exploitation risks.
This Oakland proceeding reflects growing legal pressure on major technology firms, with similar lawsuits targeting YouTube, TikTok and Snap over comparable allegations of platform design that fosters addiction and inadequate child safety measures. A New Mexico jury awarded $567 million against Meta last week to address youth harms, supplementing a March judgment of $375 million that found the company knowingly endangered children’s psychological wellbeing.
State prosecutors are demanding substantial financial penalties alongside operational reforms including enhanced age verification systems, modified default privacy settings and restricted access to addictive algorithmic features. Meta maintains it has deployed numerous safeguards to protect young users and is challenging the New Mexico verdict.
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