Overview
- Prosecutors opened their case on Tuesday, Aug. 18, in Oakland and called former Meta manager Arturo Béjar to testify that internal warnings about harm to young users were ignored.
- The plaintiffs — four states representing a coalition of 29 — seek structural orders to restrict features such as infinite scroll, autoplay, frequent push notifications and visible like counts, plus roughly $200 billion in remedies.
- Meta says the claims are unfounded, points to protections it has rolled out for teens, and argues youth mental‑health harms cannot be laid exclusively at the feet of a single service.
- Mark Zuckerberg and other current and former executives are expected to testify, with Zuckerberg’s three‑hour appearance scheduled for late September and a judge’s decision anticipated in early October.
- The case rests on internal research disclosed in the Facebook Files and whistleblower testimony, and observers warn a ruling for the states could force industry‑wide design changes and spur further litigation against other platforms.