Meta is on trial in Oakland, California, after the state of California and 28 other U.S. states filed a lawsuit alleging that the company designed products that hook, hold, harvest and hide data from children. The complaint claims that Meta violated federal child privacy law and state consumer protection statutes by collecting data on users under 13 without parental consent. If found liable, the case could result in damages up to $200 billion, roughly the company's 2025 annual revenue, and may require changes to product design. Meta denies the allegations. Opening statements were presented on Tuesday, with prosecutor Megan O'Neill describing the four‑step business model that she says targets minors. The trial will hear testimony from former Meta employee Arturo Béjar, who said his teenage daughter received unwanted sexual messages and images on Instagram. Béjar testified that he shared internal survey data showing 51 percent of teen users reported harmful experiences in the previous week, while content was removed in only 0.02 percent of cases. He said he sent the data to CEO Mark Zuckerberg in 2021, but received no response. Meta attorney Paul Schmidt argued that the company has tools to address social‑media use and that it blocks registration for children under 13, having disabled more than one million accounts. The judge, Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, will issue the final decision after the six‑to‑eight‑week trial, while the jury provides advisory recommendations. Meta has previously lost two similar trials, resulting in payments of nearly $1 billion to New Mexico and more than $4 million to a private individual. The proceeding will also feature testimony from former user experience researchers Elena Davis and Natalie Troxel, and psychologist Jean Twenge. The outcome will likely shape Meta's product strategy and may set a precedent for how tech firms handle child safety on digital platforms. The case remains pending, with a decision expected after the trial concludes.