Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 05:48am on 19 Aug 2026,Wednesday Tech Today
Meta Platforms has begun a six-week US federal trial after 29 states accused the company of deliberately designing Facebook and Instagram to keep children engaged while harming their wellbeing. California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey allege Meta maximised young users’ engagement while contributing to anxiety, depression and, in some cases, suicide. The states also accuse Meta of misleading parents and the public about platform safety. Meta has strongly rejected the allegations. The Oakland, California, trial could expose the company to potentially hundreds of billions of dollars in penalties and force major changes to its platforms. The case comes as Meta, Snap, TikTok parent ByteDance and YouTube face thousands of lawsuits from states, municipalities and school districts. (PC: X)
