Meta Platforms disclosed in a Monday court filing that four US states are seeking $1.4 trillion in penalties. The demand comes ahead of an August trial in Oakland, California.
The lawsuit, brought by California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey, accuses Meta of designing its Facebook and Instagram platforms to addict young users and misleading the public about their safety.
Meta called the sum "unsupported by the evidence," stating it has no analog in consumer protection history. The figure is close to Meta's current market capitalization.
The states are calculating penalties by multiplying violations by state-set fines. The number of violations is based on estimated teens and young users affected.
Twenty-nine states have sued Meta in federal court, primarily alleging violations of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. The August trial will address these federal claims plus the four states' consumer protection allegations.
Meta denies the allegations, arguing "social media addiction" is not an established psychiatric condition. The company claims statements about its platforms' addictiveness cannot be false.
A separate trial for claims from 14 additional states under their own laws is scheduled for February.