Meta knew it was hooking our children. Now 42 states are coming for the check

Published October 5, 2026 11:00am ET



A legal reckoning has arrived for Big Tech. A massive multistate lawsuit targeting youth social media addiction recently escalated to trial preparation. This massive litigation involves a powerful bipartisan coalition of 42 state attorneys general. Their unified front moves the legal battleground straight into local courthouses.

This legal fight carries profound public health implications. As a physician, I treat corporate design choices as a matter of clinical pathology. As a jurist, I view the courtroom as an indispensable tool for systemic accountability. This lawsuit alleges that Meta knowingly designed addictive features on Instagram and Facebook to hook children.

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