Meta Lawsuit
Last updated: October 4, 2026
Thousands of families say Instagram and Facebook were built to keep their children hooked, and that their kids were harmed as a result. Meta owns both apps, along with WhatsApp, and it sits at the center of that litigation. In August 2026, Meta agreed to pay state governments up to $17.1 billion to settle the states' cases. That money goes to the states, and the families' own lawsuits are still going.
Juries have ruled against Meta three times this year. The first addiction trial ended in a $6 million verdict, and New Mexico won $375 million in its child safety case. On September 25, a second New Mexico jury found that Facebook deceived users about protecting their data. This page lays out all of it.
If your child, or you as a teenager, developed serious mental health problems during heavy use of Instagram or Facebook, you can ask for a free case review. Whether that history supports a claim depends on the diagnosis, the age when heavy use began, and what the records show. Pick the situation that fits:
Free and no obligation. Deadlines are set by your state, and the rules for someone harmed as a minor can differ. Submitting a review request does not create an attorney-client relationship.
If you or someone you know is struggling:
- 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988. Available 24/7, free, confidential.
- Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a volunteer crisis counselor.
This page is part of our broader coverage of the Social Media Addiction Lawsuit. Related coverage includes Facebook Lawsuit, Instagram Lawsuit, and our analysis of the New Mexico verdict.
This page provides general educational information about litigation involving Meta. Except where verdicts are noted, the claims described are allegations that Meta disputes. This page is not legal advice.
- The tracks of Meta litigation
- The $17.1 billion state settlement
- The youth harm MDL and state coordination
- The KGM verdict
- The New Mexico child safety verdict
- The New Mexico privacy verdict
- The school district bellwether Meta settled
- The second state bellwether
- The FTC antitrust case Meta won
- Frequently asked questions
The Tracks of Meta Litigation
The phrase Meta lawsuit points at several different things. The biggest is the youth harm litigation, thousands of cases saying Instagram and Facebook were built to hook minors and damaged their mental health. Running alongside it were the state attorney general cases, which Meta settled in August 2026. There are also child safety cases like New Mexico's, New Mexico's separate privacy case over the Cambridge Analytica scandal, and business cases like the FTC antitrust suit.
The older privacy class actions are covered separately at Facebook Lawsuit and Facebook Settlement.
The $17.1 Billion State Settlement
State attorneys general sued Meta in 2023. They said the company knowingly built features to hook young users and misled the public about the risks. On August 18, 2026, a group of 29 states, led by California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey, took that case to trial in federal court in Oakland. Eight days later, Meta settled.
Fifty-one attorneys general signed the deal. Meta will pay the states about $12 billion over 10 years. That can rise to $17.1 billion, but only if Snap, TikTok and YouTube adopt the same teen time limits. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers approved the agreement on August 26, the day it was filed. Meta denies that its apps harm young users.
Tennessee had been trying its own case against Meta in Nashville since July 20. That trial ended the same day, as part of the settlement. Florida, New Mexico and Texas are not part of the deal. Texas reached its own settlement with Meta for about $1 billion, and New Mexico's case is covered below.
What changes for teens on Instagram and Facebook
Meta also agreed to new rules for users under 18 on Instagram and Facebook. They include a daily time limit that only a parent can loosen, an overnight block, and quieter notifications during school hours. Most must be in place by late February 2027. Our social media lawsuit update lists each rule, its deadline, and the stricter version that applies if Snap, TikTok and YouTube sign on.
What the settlement means for families
The money goes to state governments, and each state decides how to spend its share. There is no claim form and no fund for individual families. The agreement states that it does not settle claims by families or school districts. Those lawsuits are a separate track, and they are still pending. Latest dates for those cases are on our social media lawsuit update page.
The Youth Harm MDL and State Coordination
The federal cases are grouped together in California before Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers. The group has grown quickly through 2026, and our social media lawsuit update page carries the current case count. A matching California state proceeding runs in Los Angeles.
The cases come in three kinds. Families sue over injury to a child. School districts sue over what they say social media has cost them, from counselors to classroom disruption. States sued to enforce their own laws, and most of those claims ended with the August settlement.
The core claim is that Meta built features to maximize engagement while knowing what they were doing to teenagers. The families point to the company's own internal research to say so.
For the full multi-defendant picture, see the Social Media Addiction Lawsuit overview.
The KGM Verdict
The first of these cases to reach a jury was brought by a young plaintiff known as K.G.M., and it went to trial in Los Angeles in early 2026. Snap settled on January 22 and TikTok on January 27, both confidentially, which left Meta and Google in the courtroom. Mark Zuckerberg testified.
On March 25, 2026, the jury awarded 6 million dollars against the two companies. Three million was for the harm itself, split 70 percent to Meta and 30 percent to Google, and three million more was to punish them. It was the first jury verdict in the addiction cases, and every pending case now points to it.
Meta and Google asked for a new trial and the judge said no, so the award stands. Both companies have appealed. Whether that verdict holds up on appeal is the biggest open question in this litigation.
The New Mexico Child Safety Verdict
One day before the K.G.M. verdict, on March 24, 2026, a New Mexico jury found against Meta on every count in the state's child safety case. That case was about the exploitation of children on Meta's platforms, which is a separate matter from how the apps are designed to hold attention. The jury ordered the company to pay 375 million dollars. It was the first time Meta faced a jury over child safety, and it lost.
On August 6, 2026, the judge added $567 million more, which Meta must spend on treatment, screening and prevention services. That brings the New Mexico total to about $942 million. Our full analysis is at the New Mexico verdict, explained.
The New Mexico Privacy Verdict
New Mexico took Meta before a jury a second time in 2026, this time over Facebook's promises about user data.
The state sued in 2021 after the Cambridge Analytica scandal. In that scandal, a personality quiz app harvested information from about 87 million Facebook profiles and passed it to a political consulting firm. The state said Facebook told users it protected their data and policed the app developers who could reach it, then did neither.
The jury reached its verdict on September 25, 2026, after a two-week trial in Santa Fe. It found that 31 of the 34 statements Facebook made about data protection and content policies were unfair or deceptive under New Mexico's Unfair Practices Act. Each statement reached about 1.4 million New Mexico users, which the state counts as more than 43 million violations.
Judge Francis Mathew will set the penalty at a later hearing. The state is asking for up to $5,000 per violation and a court order barring the practices. Meta said it disagrees with the verdict and will keep defending itself.
The privacy case runs on its own track. For families in the addiction cases, its weight is that a third jury this year found Meta's public statements misled the people who relied on them.
The School District Bellwether Meta Settled
The first federal test case came from Breathitt County Schools in rural Kentucky, which wanted money for student mental health programs and changes to how the apps work. In May 2026, Snap, YouTube, and TikTok settled with the district on confidential terms, weeks before trial. Meta held out longer, then settled on May 21, three weeks before jury selection was due to start. The trial came off the calendar.
Reporting put the combined payment near 27 million dollars against a demand of more than 60 million, with Meta paying around 9 million of it. The companies did not confirm the terms, so the district cases filed nationwide have no public figure to measure against. The next district case, brought by Tucson Unified, is tentatively set for early 2027.
The Second State Bellwether
A second test case, brought by a Florida teenager identified as R.K.C., was set for trial on July 27, 2026. YouTube settled first, on June 23, and TikTok followed, both confidentially. Snap settled on July 20. Then on July 22 the plaintiff dropped his remaining claims against Meta, days before jury selection. Meta said it paid nothing.
So since the March verdict, no addiction case has reached a second jury. Every one has ended in a confidential settlement or a dismissal at the courthouse door. Our social media lawsuit update page tracks the next trial dates.
The FTC Antitrust Case Meta Won
On a completely different front, the Federal Trade Commission sued Meta to force it to sell off Instagram and WhatsApp, arguing the company held an illegal monopoly. The case went to trial in 2025 and the court ruled for Meta late that year. It was the company's biggest legal win of the period, and it sits in sharp contrast to the three juries that ruled against it in 2026.
Did your child experience serious mental health harm tied to compulsive Instagram or Facebook use? You may qualify for a free case review.
Check My EligibilityRelated Lawsuit Topics
Social Media Addiction Lawsuit
The full multi-defendant litigation, the legal theories, and who the claims involve.
Instagram Lawsuit
Why Instagram sits at the center of the youth harm claims against Meta.
Facebook Lawsuit
The Facebook cases people search for, from privacy class actions to the youth harm claims.
The New Mexico Verdict
Our analysis of the 375 million dollar child safety verdict against Meta.
Snapchat Lawsuit
The claims against Snap, including its bellwether settlements and safety cases.
YouTube Lawsuit
The claims against Google and YouTube, including its K.G.M. verdict share and its June 2026 settlement.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Meta Lawsuit
What lawsuits is Meta facing?
Several kinds at once. Thousands of youth harm cases over Instagram and Facebook are grouped together in federal court and in a matching California state court. School districts have sued too. Most state attorney general cases ended with the August 2026 settlement, while New Mexico's child safety case continues on its own. In September 2026, a second New Mexico jury found that Facebook deceived users about their data. Meta also won a separate antitrust case brought by the FTC. Meta denies the harm allegations in all of them.
Can families get money from Meta's $17.1 billion settlement?
No. The settlement pays state governments, and there is no claim form for families. The family lawsuits are a separate track, and the settlement leaves them in place.
What was the $6 million verdict against Meta?
In March 2026, a Los Angeles jury returned a 6 million dollar verdict against Meta and Google, including punitive damages. The case, the first test trial, was brought by a young woman known as K.G.M. Snap and TikTok had settled before trial. It was the first jury verdict in the social media addiction cases. The judge refused a new trial, and both companies have appealed.
What was the New Mexico verdict against Meta?
In March 2026, a New Mexico jury found against Meta on every count in the state's child safety case and ordered it to pay 375 million dollars. That case was about the exploitation of children on its platforms, a separate matter from how the apps hold attention. In August, the judge ordered Meta to put another 567 million dollars into a fund for youth services.
What was the New Mexico privacy verdict against Meta?
On September 25, 2026, a Santa Fe jury ruled against Facebook under New Mexico's Unfair Practices Act. It found that 31 of 34 statements Facebook made about protecting user data were unfair or deceptive. The case grew out of the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The judge will set the penalty later, and the state is asking for up to 5,000 dollars per violation. This case is about data privacy and runs separately from the youth harm and child safety cases.
Does Meta face more trials?
The states' federal trial and Tennessee's trial both ended with the August 26 settlement. Thousands of family and school district cases are still pending against Meta. Our social media lawsuit update tracks the next trial dates.
Has Meta settled the youth harm lawsuits?
Meta settled most of the states' cases, but there is no settlement covering families. Individual test cases have ended in confidential settlements or dismissals, and one went to a jury. Outcomes differ case by case, and thousands are still pending.
What happened in the FTC antitrust case against Meta?
The FTC sued Meta seeking to unwind its acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp, alleging an illegal social networking monopoly. After trial, the court ruled in Meta's favor in late 2025, a major win for the company on the antitrust front. That case is separate from the youth harm litigation.
Find Out If You May Have a Case
Did your child experience serious mental health harm tied to compulsive use of Instagram, Facebook, or another platform named in this litigation? You can request a free, no-obligation case review on Lawsuit Center.
Educational purposes only. Submitting a case review request does not create an attorney-client relationship.
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