Meta is preparing for a potentially significant legal battle as a multistate trial opens Tuesday in an Oakland, California courtroom. Prosecutors from 29 states allege that the company violated child protection regulations and consumer protection statutes, causing documented psychological harm to minors.

Key allegations

California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey are leading the case, and testimony is expected from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram.

State prosecutors say Meta intentionally designed features such as infinite scrolling, automatic video playback, and engagement metrics to maximize the amount of time young users spend on its platforms. They argue that Meta knew these features contributed to mental health problems including anxiety, depression, and self-destructive behavior, but continued to market its products as safe.

The complaint also accuses Meta of violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act by allowing users under age 13 on its platforms and collecting their personal information without parental consent.

Ahead of opening statements, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a Bloomberg interview that the states were not seeking to put Meta out of business. Instead, he said they wanted to end “the harmful, unlawful features” in its products. Bloomberg’s post included the quoted remark and linked video on X:

Is this social media’s “big tobacco” moment? Ahead of opening statements this week in the multistate federal trial against Meta, California @AGRobBonta says, “We are not interested in putting them out of business. We are interested in ending the harmful, unlawful features that… pic.twitter.com/lpZhcyd0GP — Bloomberg (@business) August 16, 2026

META stock fell 0.86% ahead of the proceedings.

Court details and expected testimony

U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers will preside over the case in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. She previously oversaw the high-profile litigation between Elon Musk and Sam Altman and is known for her direct judicial style.

Mark Zuckerberg and Adam Mosseri are both scheduled to testify. The 29 states presenting evidence in the trial say Meta breached child safety rules and consumer protection laws, making the case a closely watched test of how far regulators can go in challenging product design choices at one of the world’s largest social media companies.

What the states want

In addition to financial penalties, prosecutors are asking the court to require broad changes to Instagram and Facebook for younger users. Their requested remedies include removing engagement metrics, ending infinite scrolling, stopping automatic video playback, banning ephemeral features such as Instagram Stories, and changing content recommendation systems.

The states are also seeking mandatory parental verification for adolescent accounts and limits on mobile notifications.

Those features are central to Meta’s current platform design, which is why the requested remedies would go beyond a one-time fine and could affect how the company operates its core apps.

Damages and Meta’s response

The financial claims are unusually large. The states are seeking damages approaching $1.4 trillion, a figure that Meta says is far out of proportion. Meta’s market capitalization is currently about $1.5 trillion.

Meta rejected the allegations in a statement, saying: “The AGs offer no proof anyone in their states was misled,” and adding, “Rather than sticking to the facts or the law, the states have instead decided to chase an outlandish payout.”

Prior legal setbacks

The case comes after a series of recent legal setbacks for Meta.

Just weeks ago, a New Mexico court ordered Meta to pay $942 million and labeled the company a “public nuisance” in a separate ruling. That court also required Instagram and Facebook to remove like features for users under 18 and limit the timing of notifications for teenagers.

In March, jurors found Meta and YouTube negligent after hearing testimony from a woman who said she became seriously addicted to the platforms starting at age 10. A jury awarded $6 million in damages against both companies.

The 30 jurisdictions involved in Tuesday’s case represent roughly two-thirds of the U.S. population, underscoring the scale of the legal challenge. An adverse ruling could force Meta to make nationwide changes to its platforms.

Proceedings begin Tuesday in Oakland under Judge Gonzalez Rogers.