Jury Selection Opens in Landmark Meta Youth Mental Health Trial

Jury selection commenced Wednesday in a federal courtroom in Oakland, California, marking the start of a high-stakes trial over allegations that Meta Platforms' social media apps harm young users' mental health and collect data on children without parental consent.

The trial, which is expected to run six to eight weeks, is part of a broader multidistrict lawsuit filed in 2023 by 29 U.S. states. However, this initial phase will only involve four states: California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey. Eight other states have pursued separate litigation in their own courts, including an ongoing case in Tennessee.

The lawsuit claims Meta routinely gathers personal information from children under 13 without their parents' permission, violating federal law. The complaint accuses the company of using "powerful and unprecedented technologies" to attract and engage young users, allegedly misleading the public about the dangers of its platforms while prioritizing profit over the well-being of teenagers and children.

This case is part of a wave of legal actions against major social media companies, including Google's YouTube, TikTok, and Snap, over similar allegations of addictive design, unlawful data collection, and harm to minors.

The trial follows a recent landmark ruling in New Mexico, where a court ordered Meta to pay $567 million to address harms to young users. That penalty adds to $375 million in civil fines imposed by a jury in March, which found the company knowingly harmed children's mental health and concealed knowledge of child sexual exploitation on its platforms. In the second phase of the New Mexico case, prosecutors sought structural changes at Meta, including stricter age verification, default privacy settings, and closer oversight of addictive features.

The states in the current federal case are seeking heavy penalties and operational changes to make Meta's platforms safer for children. Meta has said it has introduced dozens of safety features and is appealing the New Mexico decision.