Tuesday, August 18, 2026

META'S $1.4 TRILLION CHILD-SAFETY TRIAL OPENS IN OAKLAND AS STATES ACCUSE TECH GIANT OF HARMING YOUNG USERS

Opening statements have been delivered in a landmark federal trial accusing Meta of deliberately designing Facebook and Instagram in ways that harm children and teenagers.

Twenty-nine US states filed the lawsuit in 2023, and four of them — California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey — are leading the case before a federal judge in Oakland, California.

Meta says it could face as much as one-point-four trillion dollars in penalties, and the company strongly denies the allegations.

Ira Spitzer reports from Oakland.

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Ira Spitzer, our reporter in Oakland, says families of young people allegedly harmed by Meta's platforms rallied outside the courthouse as the trial got under way.

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Ira Spitzer in Oakland says the trial could pose a threat not just to Meta's finances but to the core design features that drive engagement on its platforms.

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OUT: “...sorts of penalties.”
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http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0818-1701spitzer-metatrial3.mp3