The high-stakes Meta 30-state trial over Instagram and Facebook changes is officially under way, bringing massive legal pressure on the social media giant. The lawsuit, originally filed in 2023 by a bipartisan group of 30 US states—including California and New York—accused Meta of violating children’s federal and state privacy laws and using features to hook young users.
The states are pushing for over $1 trillion in financial penalties, as BBC reports. However, the most dramatic threat comes from the demanded structural changes. If Meta loses, it could be forced to strip away core engagement features that have defined Instagram and Facebook for over a decade.
Stripping down core engagement features
Lawyers for the states argue that Meta built “dopamine-manipulating recommendation algorithms.” These are allegedly engineered to keep teenagers glued to their screens. To break that cycle, the coalition wants strict parental verification systems and a ban on multiple account creation. They also push for a complete removal of features that encourage endless browsing.
The specific platform changes requested by the states include:
- Public “like” counts and engagement metrics
- Infinite scrolling feeds and auto-playing videos
- Ephemeral posts, such as Instagram Stories
- Cosmetic image filters that modify physical appearance
- Frequent push notifications designed to pull teens back into the app
Meta strongly denies the claims, maintaining that it has a long-standing commitment to supporting young people. The trial is being held in California under Chief Federal Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, a veteran judge known for her incisive style in tech industry cases.
The push to label social platforms a “public nuisance”
This trial follows a separate legal blow in New Mexico. There, a state judge fined Meta $942 million and declared the company a “public nuisance”—comparing its platforms to an industrial plant polluting the air. That court ordered Meta to turn off “like” counts for users under 18, ban minors from sending or receiving nudity, and restrict nighttime push notifications.
While Meta is appealing the New Mexico decision, prevailing in this 30-state trial would affect nearly two-thirds of the US population. It would effectively force Meta to roll out these sweeping design changes across the entire country.
Internal research and youth mental health
At the center of the states’ argument is Meta’s own internal research. Documents submitted in court show that Meta’s researchers previously found “like” counts fuel negative social comparison among teens, linking the practice to heightened loneliness, body dissatisfaction, and depressive symptoms.
Court testimonies from young witnesses further highlighted how early these habits begin. Some recalled making dozens of secondary accounts as young as nine years old just to boost their own engagement metrics. If Judge Gonzalez Rogers rules against Meta, social media for teens—and likely everyone else—will look fundamentally different.
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