Meta Faces Major Trial Over Instagram, Facebook Features

A major legal battle involving Meta and 30 U.S. states begins today, August 18, in Oakland, California. The states accuse Meta of deliberately designing Instagram and Facebook to attract children and teenagers and keep them engaged for longer periods. They also allege that Meta violated federal and state privacy laws relating to minors.

The states have raised concerns over features such as push notifications, recommendation systems, autoplay videos and infinite scrolling. They argue that these features encourage young users to repeatedly return to the platforms. If the states succeed, they are seeking significant changes to how Instagram and Facebook operate for younger users, rather than simply financial penalties.

Among the proposed changes are parental verification for teenage accounts, restrictions on multiple accounts, removing visible like counts for young users, limiting infinite scrolling and changing recommendation algorithms. The states are also seeking restrictions on certain appearance-altering filters, autoplay videos and some temporary content features. The trial is expected to continue for around six to eight weeks.

Meta has rejected the allegations and says it has a long-term commitment to supporting young people. The outcome of the case could have a major impact on the social-media experience of children and teenagers across the U.S. If the states prevail, features that users consider routine today could undergo significant changes, potentially reshaping how younger audiences use Instagram and Facebook.