Meta faces up to $200B in damages as child-safety trial opens in Oakland
California Deputy AG Megan O'Neill opened the four-state trial against Meta in Oakland by framing its model as hook, hold, harvest, hide — a rhetorical device, not a quote from any internal document — with damages potentially reaching $200bn, roughly Meta's entire 2025 revenue. Former safety engineer Arturo Béjar testified that 51% of teen Instagram users reported a harmful experience in the prior seven days and that content was removed 0.02% of the time, in a 2021 email to Zuckerberg that drew no reply. The states are also seeking forced product-design changes, which would reshape how Facebook and Instagram operate regardless of the damages figure. Meta denies the allegations and its counsel points to disabling more than 1m under-13 accounts; the jury's role is advisory, with Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers deciding the verdict.
Source: theguardian.com ↗
Meta's business model worked especially well for kids.
Why this matters
- → Meta's child-safety practices face $200B liability — half its annual revenue.
- → Jury trial could force permanent redesign of Facebook and Instagram's core engagement model.
- → 51% of teens reported harmful experiences; company removed content 0.02% of the time.