Four States Initiate Trial Against Meta in California Over Alleged Harm to Children
Opening statements are set to begin in a trial in Oakland, California, where Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, faces allegations of causing harm to children. Four state attorneys general from California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey are leading this effort, marking the first of 29 states to pursue claims that Meta violated consumer protection laws. The trial will also address allegations from all 29 states that Meta breached the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) by unlawfully collecting data from children. An advisory jury of eight people has been selected, with U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers presiding over the final ruling. The trial is anticipated to last six to eight weeks, with a verdict expected in October. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram head Adam Mosseri are slated to testify. This trial is a component of the broader social media adolescent-addiction multidistrict litigation (MDL), which has consolidated thousands of cases nationwide since 20... 
