wire / 2026-08-12-86c7
Meta Faces Trial Over AI-Driven Youth Harm and Data Privacy Violations
Twenty-nine states pile into one Oakland courtroom to argue Meta's algorithms hurt kids and hoovered up their data. The defense will be that everyone else does it too.
The facts
Meta is on trial in Oakland, California, facing allegations from 29 U.S. states that its AI-powered social media platforms, Facebook and Instagram, have harmed youth mental health and illegally collected data from children under 13. The lawsuit claims AI-driven design and recommendation systems foster addiction and violate federal privacy laws.