According to reports in the US press, California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey, among the 29 states that filed a lawsuit against Meta, will be the plaintiff parties in the hearing to be held tomorrow. It is stated that the hearings of the other 25 states will be held at a later date.
The case, which will be held in Oakland, California, is considered to be "one of the largest cases" filed against Meta regarding the safety of children on social media platforms.
In the case, Meta, the umbrella company of social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook, is accused of negatively affecting the mental health of young people and designing social media platforms in a way that makes children addicted.
In the case file, it is stated that the data of children under the age of 13 were collected without the knowledge of their guardians and that this violated federal law, and that Meta attracted the attention of the young people with advanced technologies and used them to increase its financial income.
State attorneys general are seeking sweeping civil damages that could reach $1.4 trillion, as well as changes to the way Meta operates Facebook and Instagram.
These changes include obtaining parental consent for young users, "changing algorithms that involve dopamine manipulation", removing filters that change a person's appearance in photos, not autoplaying video content, preventing the creation of multiple accounts, and ending the sharing of content such as stories on Instagram that disappear after a certain period of time.
IF META LOSES THE CASE, IT MAY FACE "MAJOR CONSEQUENCES"
News in the US press includes the comment that Meta, who lost 2 cases this year on the grounds that he harmed young people and children, will face "big consequences" if he loses this case as well.
It is stated that Meta, which announced that it had lost profits last month due to expenses of $ 2.4 billion in previous legal processes, may be dragged into "bankruptcy" and become state property if it loses the lawsuits filed by 29 states and has to pay fines of up to $ 1.4 trillion.
Speaking to ABC News, Law Professor James Grimmelmann stated that although the court has "broad discretion" regarding the fine if Meta loses the case, this amount is unlikely to be close to 1.4 trillion dollars.
Grimmelmann stated that such a fine would "push Meta into bankruptcy, causing the company to become state property, which is unlikely to happen."
In the statement made by Meta, it was stated that the allegations were rejected, arguing that the evidence would show that the company supports young people.
On the other hand, in Meta's application to the Northern District Court of California on July 6, "A sanction of this magnitude is unprecedented in the history of sanctions for the protection of consumer rights." The statement was included.
META IS ON THE AGENDA WITH "CHILDREN'S SAFETY" CONCERNS
On August 7, a judge in the US state of New Mexico ordered the social media company Meta to pay $567 million in compensation for its responsibility in the children's mental health crisis.
Instagram, the social media platform under the umbrella of Meta, introduced the "Teen Accounts" application in September 2024, which restricts the use of the platform by children and young people and includes security measures.
On the Instagram platform, it was announced on April 8, 2025 that users under the age of 16 will not be able to use the "live broadcast" feature without parental permission and will not be able to turn off the "automatic blur" feature in private messages.
