• •Four US states have initiated a landmark trial against Meta, alleging the company prioritized profit over child safety.
• •The case stems from 2021 whistleblower disclosures that accused Meta of misleading the public about the dangers posed by Instagram and Facebook.
• •While prosecutors allege Meta knowingly engineered addictive platforms, the company maintains its tools are safe and that it has implemented sufficient protective measures.
• •It remains uncertain how the court will weigh proprietary internal data against public testimony regarding the long-term mental health impact on adolescent users.

The federal trial against Meta regarding its impact on adolescent mental health officially began this week, with four US states alleging the company knowingly designed addictive features to maximize user time. Al Jazeera highlights the case's roots in the 2021 whistleblower revelations, whereas NPR focuses on the specific accusation that Meta leadership intentionally lied to the public about these safety risks. The core friction lies in the conflicting narratives: states argue the company's profit motives fundamentally endangered children, while Meta continues to defend its platform safety protocols as sufficient. If the states successfully prove these design choices were predatory, the verdict could force a structural shift in how social media companies build products for minors.