States accuse Meta of engineering addictive features for minors in new lawsuit

A coalition of state attorneys general—including those from California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey—has taken Meta to court, asserting that the company knowingly crafted Instagram and Facebook to captivate children and teenagers while being aware of potential mental-health harms. The lawsuit, part of a larger action by 29 states, seeks injunctive relief to alter how the platforms function and demands penalties estimated at around $200 billion.

Meta’s spokesperson labeled the claims as lacking evidence and pointed to the company’s record of safeguarding minors. The states highlight design choices such as the recommendation algorithm, endless scrolling, visible likes and all-hours push notifications as mechanisms that sustain user attention. Bloomberg’s Alexandra Levine noted that unlike earlier cases focused on harmful content, this trial targets the underlying product architecture. She also warned that a forced overhaul of these core features could pose a greater threat to Meta than any financial judgment.