Meta has entered a high-stakes federal trial in Oakland, California, facing allegations that its platforms intentionally foster social media addiction and negatively impact teen mental health.

Presided over by federal Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, the proceedings consolidate claims from dozens of states following extensive investigations into the company’s youth safety practices.

The legal action focuses on two primary areas: state-level consumer protection violations and federal breaches of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

Key states, including California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey, assert that Meta actively misled the public regarding platform safety. Additionally, 29 states allege the company knowingly gathered personal data from users under the age of 13 across Instagram and Facebook without obtaining verified parental consent.

The financial and regulatory implications for Meta are substantial. Court filings show states initially targeted penalties reaching up to $1.4 trillion—a figure the defense characterized as outlandish and the judge labeled unreasonable, while also rejecting Meta’s lower $4 million proposal. The six-week trial utilizes an eight-member advisory jury, leaving final authority over liability and sanctions to the judge. Top executives, including CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram head Adam Mosseri, are expected to testify.

Meta denies the charges, maintaining that the states’ allegations are unsubstantiated and misrepresent standard product features and industry-wide technical challenges like age verification. Company representatives defend Meta’s record on youth safety tools, asserting that the requested damages are entirely disproportionate to the claims.

This litigation represents a critical juncture among thousands of active claims confronting the tech company. Having previously received adverse rulings in Los Angeles and New Mexico, Meta faces mounting legal pressures, reporting $2.4 billion spent on litigation expenses in a single quarter. The outcome of this trial will likely establish crucial legal benchmarks regarding platform liability, youth data privacy, and digital product design across the broader technology industry.

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