California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey are leading a bellwether federal trial in Oakland that accuses Meta of designing Facebook and Instagram to keep minors engaged, misleading the public about youth-safety risks, and collecting data from users under 13 without proper parental consent in violation of COPPA. The case is the first test from a 29-state lawsuit filed in 2023; it began on August 18, is expected to last four to six weeks, and Mark Zuckerberg is scheduled to testify. Meta says the states' theory could imply as much as $1.4 trillion in penalties, while the states have previously pointed to roughly $200 billion and are also seeking product changes. The eight-person jury is advisory and U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers will decide liability and remedies. Meta, which reported nearly $201 billion in revenue last year and more than $90 billion in cash and marketable securities at the end of June, says the claims are unsubstantiated and disproportionate. The outcome could shape similar lawsuits against TikTok, YouTube and Snapchat by testing whether challenges to recommendation and engagement design can avoid Section 230 protections and survive First Amendment objections; in New Mexico, Meta was found liable earlier this year for 75,000 consumer-protection violations and later ordered to pay a total of $942 million, a ruling it is appealing.