Meta faces 29-state trial that could reshape Instagram and Facebook

OAKLAND, Calif. \u2014 A coalition of states suing Meta Platforms over claims Facebook and Instagram were designed in ways that harmed young users' mental health will begin making \u200bits case on Tuesday in California federal court in a trial that could reshape some of the most popular apps on the planet.Attorneys for Colorado, California, New Jersey and Kentucky, who are leading a bipartisan group of 29 states, will give their opening statements \u200cbefore an eight-person jury in Oakland that is serving expressly in an advisory capacity for U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who will ultimately decide the case.The trial will test the four states' \u2060allegations that Meta designed Facebook and Instagram to be addictive to children \u200band teens and misled consumers about the safety of the platforms for \u2060young users. It will also address the claims of all 29 states accusing Meta of improperly collecting and using children's personal data while they used the \u200ccompany's platforms in violation of federal \u200claw.Attorneys for Meta are expected to tell the jury that the company has made a huge effort to keep kids \u2060safe online. The company has argued that it has not made misleading statements about safety and \u2060the states have failed to present any evidence of actual harm to their residents.Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg is expected to testify during the multiweek trial, as is Instagram head Adam Mosseri.Biggest test yetIn terms of potential damages and implications for Meta, experts have said the trial is the biggest test yet of youth social media litigation and comes amid a broader reckoning across the globe over social media's effects on young users.Meta has said the penalties could be as high as $1.4 trillion, near the company's market cap of $1.5 trillion. The attorneys \u200cgeneral have yet to specify what they are seeking in penalties, but said at a hearing last \u200bweek that the amount could be closer to $200 billion.The attorneys general of Colorado, Kentucky, California and New Jersey are also asking the judge to issue an order forcing the company to implement age restrictions, eliminate infinite scroll and make other changes to its platforms nationwide.In a statement ahead of the arguments, a Meta spokesperson said the states' claims are unsubstantiated and the company stands by its record of creating strong protections for teens."The AGs offer no proof anyone in their states was misled, claim benign features like having an additional Instagram account someh