A federal trial has begun in California where state attorneys general are pursuing claims against Meta over youth social media addiction and privacy violations.

Twenty-nine state attorneys general have joined a federal jury trial in Oakland accusing Meta Platforms of deliberately building addictive features into Facebook and Instagram that harm children.

The plaintiff dropped his case against Meta following settlements with YouTube, TikTok, and Snap. His attorneys cited concerns about a grueling trial.

The plaintiff dropped his case against Meta without receiving any payment, shifting focus to ongoing state-level legal battles over platform safety.

A jury found Meta and Google liable for engineering platforms as addictive products, rejecting defenses that focused on the plaintiff's personal background. This ruling establishes a legal precedent focusing on design-based liability rather than content moderation.