Attorney General James Releases Statement on Start of Trial Against Meta

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today released the following statement marking the first day of a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general’s trial against Meta for harming young people with deceptive and addictive social media features:

“Meta has built their business around addictive feeds and features that put children’s mental health at serious risk. Protecting young New Yorkers from harmful technology has been part of my mission since taking office, and I am grateful to this bipartisan coalition for coming together to hold Meta accountable for exploiting and harming our youth.”

Attorney General James and a bipartisan coalition of 32 other attorneys general sued Meta in October 2023, alleging the social media giant knowingly designed and deployed harmful features on Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms that addict children and teens and drive them into harmful behaviors, while falsely assuring parents and the public that its platforms were safe for young users. The lawsuit further alleges that Meta illegally collected personal information from children under 13 without their parents’ consent, in violation of the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.

Meta has repeatedly tried to prevent the coalition’s case from reaching trial. In January 2025, the court rejected Meta’s attempt to dismiss key parts of the case, allowing claims related to allegedly addictive platform design and Meta’s failure to warn young users and parents about known risks to move forward. After the court rejected Meta’s motion to rule in their favor without a trial in June 2026, the company asked the district court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to stay the trial. Both courts rejected that request, clearing the way for Attorney General James and the coalition to present their case at trial.

The trial opened today before U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California and is expected to last six to eight weeks. Attorney General James and the coalition are asking the court to order Meta to stop deploying harmful and deceptive tactics that jeopardize young users’ mental health and require the company to follow laws designed to protect children and consumers. The lawsuit also seeks monetary penalties and restitution.

Attorney Geneal James is a leader in holding social media companies accountable for the impact of their platforms. In July 2026, Attorney General James announced the final rules for the SAFE for Kids Act designed to protect children from the harms of social media addiction. In March 2026, Attorney General James joined a bipartisan coalition opposing federal legislation that would weaken state protections for children online. In February 2026, Attorney General James urged Congress to pass the Senate’s Kids Online Safety Act. In October 2025, Attorney General James announced social media companies had to start reporting their content moderation policies to combat hate. In October 2024, Attorney General James sued TikTok for harming children’s mental health.

The trial will be litigated by counsel from the offices of the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey, with support from other coalition states. The lawsuit also includes the attorneys general of Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.