---
title: "Meta Trial: Coalition of 29 US States Demands $200 Billion Over 'Child Addiction' to Social Media"
description: "A trial has begun in Oakland, where a coalition of 29 US states is demanding approximately $200 billion from Meta for creating 'addictive' features for children. Hearings will last until October, with Zuckerberg and Mosseri named as key witnesses."
date: 2026-08-19T23:09:27.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/meta-trial-29-states-demand-200-billion-over-child-addiction
tags: [meta, facebook, instagram, lawsuit, social-media, child-safety, us-states, mark-zuckerberg]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Meta Trial: Coalition of 29 US States Demands $200 Billion Over 'Child Addiction' to Social Media

![Mark Zuckerberg, Meta co-founder, amid the lawsuit as 29 US states demand $200 billion over children's social media addiction](https://xab.info/media/2026/08/20/meta-sud-200-mlrd-dollarov-za-zavisimost-detey/meta-sud-200-mlrd-dollarov-za-zavisimost-detey-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- A coalition of 29 US states is demanding approximately $200 billion in compensation from Meta for products that cause addiction in children.
- The allegations include deceiving the public, deliberately creating 'addictive' features, and collecting data on children under 13 without parental consent.
- Meta denies the allegations; former technical director Behar stated that safety was ignored in the early years.
- Hearings will last about six weeks, with a verdict expected in October 2026; Zuckerberg and Mosseri are on the list of key witnesses.

One of the most high-profile legal cases in the history of the tech industry has begun in a federal court in Oakland, California. A coalition of 29 US states, represented in court by four states — California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey — is seeking approximately $200 billion in compensation from Meta. The lawsuit, filed back in 2023, concerns the development of products that, according to the prosecution, are intentionally designed to be addictive for underage users. The hearings, which began on August 18, 2026, are expected to last about six weeks, with a verdict anticipated in October.

### Scale of the Lawsuit and Composition of the Coalition

According to court documents, Meta is the sole defendant in the case being heard in Oakland. The company, which has more than three billion users worldwide, is accused on three main counts: first, of deceiving the public about the dangers of its apps for minors; second, of developing features intended to deliberately cause addiction and an inability to look away from the screen in children, including limited-time-use mechanics that are easily bypassed; and third, of collecting data on children under 13 without parental consent, which is a violation of federal law. In addition to financial penalties, the coalition is demanding that Meta make structural changes to its apps to protect young users, including limiting the time spent on screen.

### Prosecutors' Allegations: 'Engage, Retain, Conceal'

At a press conference on the afternoon of August 18, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser stated that the states are acting on an issue on which 'Congress is doing nothing,' and compared the lawsuit to the landmark trials against tobacco companies decades ago — in both cases, it is a matter of 'public health, and in some cases marketing targeted at children that harms them.' California prosecutor Megan O'Neill's opening statement described Meta's business model with the formula 'engage users, retain them for as long as possible, collect their data, and then conceal the truth from the public,' accusing the company of 'exploiting the workings of the child's brain.'

### Meta's Position and Witness Testimony

Before the trial began, Meta denied the allegations, stating that it had collaborated with parents, experts, and law enforcement agencies to develop measures to protect children. The company's lawyer, Paul Schmidt, acknowledged that some users had a negative experience, but emphasized that Meta 'tried to provide tools to help them.' A key witness for the prosecution was Arturo Behar, a former Meta technical director, who stated that in the early years of Facebook 'the goal was to provide users with everything they needed as quickly as possible, and that often meant that safety and protection concerns were ignored.' A few days before the trial, Meta attempted to prevent Behar from testifying, but the judge denied the corresponding motion.

### Contradictory Data

The parties' accounts diverge sharply. The prosecution claims that Meta deliberately created 'addictive' mechanics and concealed from the public the harmful impact of its apps on children, while the company insists that it has been working to protect minors and providing parents with control tools. Former technical director Behar describes the company's early culture as one that ignored safety, while Meta's current leadership speaks of systematic work with parents and experts. Moreover, California Attorney General Rob Bonta, at the August 18 press conference, declined to confirm whether Meta's founder and head, Mark Zuckerberg, would personally be called to court, even though court documents list him and Instagram head Adam Mosseri among the key witnesses. Thus, the public statements of the parties and even the degree of top management's involvement in the process remain uncertain.

### Expected Consequences and Public Reaction

This is the first federal trial in a series of lawsuits against major platforms, including TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube, and if Meta is forced to make large-scale changes, the case could become a precedent for the entire industry. Activists, including mothers who claim that social media drove their children to suicide, gathered outside the courthouse. Lori Schott, a mother, criticized Mark Zuckerberg and Adam Mosseri, stating that they 'built one of the most powerful and wealthy companies in the world… But power cannot be an excuse for causing harm.' The verdict is expected in October 2026.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Facebook's CEO faces a historic trial and may be hit with a $200 billion fine.](https://www.vietnam.vn/ru/ong-chu-facebook-doi-mat-voi-phien-toa-lich-su-co-the-bi-phat-200-ty-usd) - Подтверждает сумму иска около 200 млрд долларов и исторический характер процесса.
- [Instagram and Facebook could change forever if Meta loses this lawsuit](https://www.9tv.co.il/item/262040) - Подтверждает потенциальные структурные изменения приложений при проигрыше Meta.
- [Key points about the largest trial against Meta](https://ru.euronews.com/next/2026/08/18/everything-you-need-to-know-about-metas-biggest-legal-battle-so-far) - Подтверждает дату начала слушаний 18.08.2026, состав коалиции и требования штатов.
- [Trial of the giant: Meta accused of psychological manipulation of children](https://rus.postimees.ee/8529965/sud-nad-gigantom-meta-obvinyayut-v-psihologicheskih-manipulyaciyah-nad-detmi) - Подтверждает обвинения в манипуляциях и воздействии на детский мозг.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: How much money are the US states demanding from Meta?
**A:** A coalition of 29 states is demanding compensation of approximately $200 billion, as well as structural changes to the apps to protect children.

### Q: When did the trial begin and when is the verdict expected?
**A:** Hearings began on August 18, 2026, in Oakland, will last about six weeks, and a verdict is expected in October 2026.

### Q: Will the court call Mark Zuckerberg?
**A:** Court documents list Zuckerberg and Instagram head Adam Mosseri among the key witnesses, but California Attorney General Rob Bonta declined to publicly confirm Zuckerberg's summons.

### Q: How is Meta reacting to the allegations?
**A:** Meta denies the allegations, citing collaboration with parents and experts on child protection; its lawyer acknowledged the negative experience of some users but emphasized that the company provided help tools.