Meta is on trial – again. Here's what to know about the case brought by dozens of states

A multi-state court case against the parent company of Facebook and Instagram that opens Tuesday could have far-reaching effects for how kids interact with social media.

In this portion of the multi-district litigation, California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey claim Meta violated the privacy of children and has developed and deployed "psychologically manipulative" features on its platforms designed to keep children scrolling. In all, 29 attorneys general from Democratic and Republican states are involved in the lawsuit.

WATCH: Advocates for greater social media protections for kids speak outside Meta trial

The case is just one of many brought against Meta and other social media companies in recent years, but because states – and not solely individuals – are suing, the outcome could have broader effects.

Here's what you need to know about this case against Meta.

What do the states say?

The attorneys general make four broad claims in their original complaint:

• Meta's business model focuses on making sure children spend as much time and attention on Facebook and Instagram as possible.
• Meta deceived the public by creating "harmful and psychologically manipulative" product features that encouraged "compulsive and extensive" app use while saying those features were safe.
• Meta published "profoundly misleading reports" that showed very low rates of bad experiences on Instagram and Facebook to reduce concerns about children using its platforms.
• Meta "refuses to abandon its use of known harmful features" and is instead doubling down on its efforts to "to misrepresent, conceal, and downplay" those features.

The states also say Meta violated the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act by collecting children's data without their parents' permission.

What does Meta say?

In its response, Meta says it "denies each and every allegation" the states have made.

"Meta disputes both the science and the legal theories," Daryl Lim, law professor at Penn State Dickinson Law, said in an email to PBS News.

Meta argues that there is no evidence its products are "addictive" and claims that its public statements were not false or misleading, Lim said.

A teen social media content creator shows his Instagram in Sydney, Australia, in 2025. File photo by Hollie Adams/ Reuters

The company also says it is protected by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act and, in some cases, the First Amendment, he added. Social media companies sometimes invoke Section 230 to legally protect themselves from being sued over user-generated content.

Meta also says that its services were and continue to be age-restricted, and that children who improperly used its products did so through "deception, fraud, or other improper conduct."

What does research show about kids and social media?

The science is murky on how social media use affects children, experts say. Studies can only determine correlations, not causation, between social media use and children's behavior, said Jennifer Katzenstein, co-director of the Center for Behavioral Health at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital.

The data we do have shows mixed effects. On the one hand, moderate use of social media can help kids stay connected and maintain friendships, Katzenstein said. There appears to be a "sweet spot" of social media use, especially when guardians monitor children's use and the content they see.

Facebook and Instagram alerts are displayed on a mobile phone as Meta prepares for a new law banning social media for users under 16 in Australia, in this picture illustration taken on Dec. 6, 2025. Photo by Hollie Adams/ Reuters

The science is not strong enough to say that social media use causes depression or suicidal ideation, said Dr. Carol Vidal, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. But too much social media use can be problematic for children.

There's more evidence that social media can be linked to negative self-image in girls and eating disorders, Vidal added, and even greater evidence showing social media can negatively affect sleep and academic success.

The term social media "addiction" is controversial, Vidal said. Addiction used to only refer to substance use disorders, but now there's a broader understanding that behavioral addictions – like exercise addiction or gambling addiction – may have some of the same components as a substance use addiction.

WATCH: Germany considers banning social media for most children

Regardless, Vidal said, there are less controversial terms like "problematic digital media use" or "problematic social media use" that describe similar effects as behavioral addictions.

"You're thinking about it all the time, it changes your mood, you become tolerant to it, it creates conflict with yourself and people around you," she said.

What are the possible outcomes of the trial, and how is it different from others?

This case could be a big one for deciding social media harms, though it's not necessarily the big one, said Eric Goldman, law professor at Santa Clara University School of Law.

"Almost every lawsuit against social media nowadays is a big one," he said. But unless plaintiffs succeed, they'll be little more than a "historical footnote," Goldman said.

If the states win, Meta might be forced to pay damages. The company says the states are asking for $1.4 trillion, according to Reuters. That's just about how much Meta is worth, with a market cap of $1.4 trillion.

FILE PHOTO: Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg arrives outside court to take the stand at trial in a key test case accusing Meta and Google's YouTube of harming kids' mental health through addictive platforms, in Los Angeles, Feb. 18, 2026. Photo by Mike Blake/ Reuters

This case is not just a personal injury case, like an earlier bellwether trial in which Meta was found guilty of contributing to a young woman's mental health injuries when she was a child, Lim said.

Part of the difference is in what's being litigated. The states are arguing that Meta's actions and products, including the design of its apps and what it told the public, were harmful – not necessarily the content posted by users.

"I would not describe this simply as a Section 230 case," Lim said.

But more than that, anytime a state attorney general takes on a legal matter, they're representing the people of their state and taking a legal position on their behalf, Goldman said.

"When the state AGs are making a damage claim, they're now not just about the money, they're about shaping the community for the constituents they serve," he said. "Their messages are qualitatively different than a damages demand from an individual victim."

"This case is government enforcement on a much larger scale," Lim said, and could have a greater reach.

READ MORE: Social media companies sued over deaths of 4 teens amid rising pressure over child safety

The company could be required to change some of its practices and product designs, Lim said.

He suggested some potential reforms could include new time-management tools or parental controls aimed at affecting the ways young people interact with social media. Earlier this month, a judge in New Mexico put a 90-hour cap per month on Meta's products for users under 18.

But "communities that are benefiting from social media have no voice in this trial," Goldman said, which could mean unintended downsides for some users.

For example, he said, changes like a 90-hour cap could "completely change the ecosystem," because users would no longer contribute the same amount of content, possibly kicking off "a downward spiral" in both usage and engagement.

Lim said companies might decide on their own to make changes.

"Litigation changes incentives inside companies," he said. "If design choices, internal safety research, or public statements can create substantial legal exposure, lawyers and product teams have reason to scrutinize those choices much earlier."

Whatever happens in the current case, Lim said, you can expect appeals.