Aug. 18, 2026:
Oakland, Calif. (AP) — A pivotal trial for Meta Platforms is set to kick off in a California federal court. Proceedings are expected to begin Tuesday (Aug. 18, 2026) and last six to eight weeks. Attorneys general from California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey are seeking extensive financial damages plus changes to how the company operates Facebook and Instagram. Twenty-nine states sued the tech giant in 2023 over child safety and privacy. The other 25 will go to trial later. The company also faces lawsuits in state courts. Meta said in a statement that it believes it has a strong case.
Aug. 17, 2026:
UNDATED-AP- Of the thousands of lawsuits Meta faces over child safety on its platforms, none may be more consequential than one going to trial this week in California. States are seeking extensive financial damages that could, in theory, total as much as $1.4 trillion, plus changes to how the company operates Facebook and Instagram. The lawsuit accuses the social media giant of contributing to the youth mental health crisis by knowingly and deliberately designing features that are addictive. The trial set to begin Tuesday (Aug. 18, 2026) in federal court in Oakland, California, features four of the states as plaintiffs — California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey.
Oct. 25, 2023:
South Dakota is one of around 40 states in the US that have filed federal or state lawsuits against Meta alleging that the company knowingly developed harmful features on Instagram and other social media platforms that were intended to get children and teens addicted.
Attorney General Marty Jackley says South Dakota is part of the federal complaint, which includes 32 other states, and was filed in California. The lawsuit alleges Meta knew of the harmful impacts that the platforms had on the mental health of young people and that the company misled the public about the harms associated with the use of its platforms.
Jackley says social media use, including Meta platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, has played a major role in the youth mental health issues occurring in America. He says such platforms have contributed to physical and emotional harm to children, and devastation to families so Meta needs to be held accountable for its actions.
Attorneys Generals also joining the federal lawsuit are from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Florida is filing its own federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. Eight other states filed similar lawsuits in their own state courts. Those are District of Columbia, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah and Vermont.
The federal lawsuit can be read here: https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/court-filings/meta-multistate-complaint.pdf.
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