Addictive algorithms: Meta trial opens in Tennessee as Instagram accused of 'addiction machine’ design

A US court has begun a trial against Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, over allegations that it deliberately designed addictive features targeting teenagers. Jury selection began in Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday (Jul 20), in a lawsuit brought by the Tennessee Attorney General under the state's consumer protection law.

'Instagram, the addiction machine'

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti accused Meta of knowingly designing Instagram as an "addiction machine" that drives compulsive use among teenagers. The lawsuit alleged that Meta failed to disclose its own internal research on the platform's harms to young users and misled the public about its safety. According to the complaint, Meta continued deploying features it allegedly knew were harmful, while downplaying the associated risks.

Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg previously testified that the company's algorithms are not intentionally designed to make young users addicted and that Meta has invested in safety features for teenagers.

The trial is expected to last six to seven weeks. If Meta is found liable, the court could impose civil penalties of up to US$1,000 for each violation of Tennessee's Consumer Protection Act. it could also order changes to Instagram's design and practices.

Meta is facing several cases across the US

The Tennessee case overlaps with a growing number of lawsuits against Meta alleging that its platforms were deliberately designed to maximise engagement at the expense of young users' mental health.

In May this year, Meta settled a lawsuit brought by Breathitt County Schools in Kentucky for US$9 million. The school district had alleged that addictive design features on Instagram and Facebook harmed students and had sought US$60 million in damages. Meta denied wrongdoing as part of the settlement.

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Social media addiction: The case of Kaley Glenn-Mills

In March 2026, a Los Angeles jury in the K.G.M. v. Meta Platforms, Inc. et al case found Meta and Google liable for negligently designing addictive features on Instagram and YouTube that harmed the plaintiff, Kaley Glenn-Mills. The verdict is viewed as one of the first successful individual social media addiction cases to go before a jury.

The lawsuit centred on platform features including infinite scroll, algorithmic recommendations, autoplay and other engagement-driven design elements. The plaintiff's lawyers argued that these features contributed to compulsive use, leading to anxiety, depression, body dysmorphia and other mental health problems.

According to court testimony, Glenn-Mills began using YouTube at the age of six and Instagram at the age of nine. Her lawyers argued that years of compulsive social media use contributed to severe mental health difficulties, including depression, self-harm, suicidal ideation, eating disorders and repeated psychiatric hospitalisations during her adolescence.

The jury awarded US$6 million in total damages — US$3 million in compensatory damages and US$3 million in punitive damages. It apportioned 70 per cent of the liability , or US$4.2 million, to Meta and 30 per cent, or US$1.8 million, to Google.

Meta said it "respectfully disagrees" with the verdict. The company argued that teenage mental health is "profoundly complex" and cannot be attributed to a single app. It added: "We will continue to defend ourselves vigorously as every case is different, and we remain confident in our record of protecting teens online."

Also in March, a New Mexico jury ordered Meta to pay US$375 million in civil penalties after finding that it violated the state's consumer protection law by misleading consumers about the safety of its platforms and concealing what it knew about child sexual exploitation risks on Facebook and Instagram. The case was brought by New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez. The jury awarded the maximum statutory penalty of US$5,000 per violation, amounting to US$375 million.

Both the California verdict in K.G.M. v. Meta Platforms, Inc. et al. and the New Mexico judgment have been appealed by Meta.

Social media, Big Tech and consumers: Several cases going on

Meta, Google and other Big Tech companies are facing thousands of lawsuits consolidated in federal multidistrict litigation, as well as separate actions brought by more than 40 US state attorneys general, school districts and individual plaintiffs.

The main allegation is that social media platforms were designed to foster compulsive use among children and teenagers and failed to adequately warn users about the associated risks.