(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong issued a statement as Connecticut and a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general began presenting their case against Meta in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
In the lawsuit filed in October 2023, 29 states, including Connecticut, allege Meta deliberately designed its platforms to exploit young users’ vulnerabilities, foster compulsive use, and maximize the amount of time young people spend on Facebook and Instagram.
The attorneys general also allege Meta knew about harms to young users but deceived users, parents, and the public about those risks. The lawsuit further alleges Meta illegally collected personal information from children under 13 without parental consent in violation of the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.
“Meta hooked our kids on dangerously addictive platforms and looked the other way as they unleashed a mental health crisis. They funneled harmful messages and designed features to maximize profits and override self-control that one developer likened to ‘behavioral cocaine.’ We’re done waiting for Washington to step up and protect our kids online. We’re taking the fight directly to Meta with the full weight of our law enforcement authority, and we’re going to hold them accountable and force this broken industry to do what it takes to protect our kids,” said Attorney General Tong.
Meta has repeatedly attempted to prevent the states’ case from reaching trial. In 2025, the court rejected Meta’s attempt to dismiss key portions of the case, allowing claims related to allegedly addictive platform design and Meta’s alleged failure to warn young users and parents about known risks to move forward.
After the court rejected Meta’s motion to rule in its favor without a trial in June 2026, the company asked both the district court and the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to stay the trial. Both requests were denied.
The trial opened 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.
The states are asking the court to hold Meta accountable, stop unlawful practices, and require the company to comply with laws designed to protect children and consumers. They are also seeking monetary penalties and other relief available under federal and state law.
The trial is being litigated by attorneys from California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey, with support from Connecticut and other coalition states.
Attorney General Tong said the trial is part of a broader effort to protect children online. Connecticut’s investigations into Roblox and TikTok over similar allegations remain active and ongoing.
Tong also successfully sought state legislation this year with Governor Ned Lamont aimed at combating youth social media addiction and restricting social media companies from exposing minors to harmful and addictive algorithms and notifications without parental consent.
The law establishes default protections involving account privacy, time of use, and notifications, including barring notifications between 9:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. Parental consent is required to alter those default settings.
The legislation also requires social media companies to report annually to the state on the number of minors using their platforms, the number of minors with parental consent to use addictive algorithms, and the average amount of time minors spend on the platforms.
It also requires a warning label pop-up when a minor opens a social media app informing them of potential mental health risks associated with social media use.