Meta Faces Tennessee Trial Over Claims Instagram Design Harmed Teen Mental Health

 

Photo Credit: Photo: Reuters/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

Jury selection began in Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday for a seven-week trial addressing allegations brought by the state of Tennessee that Meta Platforms’ design choices for Instagram contributed to a youth mental-health crisis. The lawsuit, filed by the office of Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, alleges that Meta designed features to drive compulsive use among teenagers and misled the public regarding the platform’s safety.

Case Background

Tennessee alleges that Meta violated the state’s consumer protection law by designing a product that encourages compulsive use among teens. According to the complaint, the company failed to disclose internal research indicating potential risks to adolescents.

The legal claims focus on platform design elements that the state contends are harmful to youth mental health:

• Video Content Delivery: The design and functioning of Instagram’s Reels and autoplay features.

• Engagement Alerts: The design of notification systems intended to prompt user engagement.

Attorney General Skrmetti is seeking financial penalties and a court order directing Meta to modify platform features that the state alleges are harmful to the mental health of minors. Under Tennessee law, the state is seeking fines of up to $1,000 per violation.

Meta’s Position

In a statement provided on Friday, a Meta spokesperson stated the company has spent a decade building "safe, age-appropriate defaults for teens alongside simple tools for parents to set the right boundaries for their family." Meta has argued that the state’s claims are based on content posted by third-party users and that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act shields the company from liability for such content.

Legal Context

This trial represents the second instance of a state bringing a lawsuit against Meta to trial. Reuters previously reported that earlier this year, a New Mexico jury found that Meta misled consumers regarding the safety of its platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, awarding the state $375 million in damages.

The Tennessee trial overlaps with several other pending legal challenges:

• Federal Litigation: A trial involving claims from 29 states, alleging violations of federal laws regarding data collected from children, is scheduled to begin on August 18 in federal court in California.

• Other Pending Trials: The Tennessee proceedings are slated to overlap with other pending litigation against Meta in California courts.

• Related Claims: A separate trial against Meta and Snapchat parent Snap Inc., brought by a Florida family alleging social media damaged a 15-year-old’s mental health, is scheduled to begin on July 27.

Sources: Reuters.

Illustration: Instagram app icon on a smartphone. Photo: Reuters/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/meta-faces-tennessee-trial-over-allegations-instagram-was-designed-be-addictive-2026-07-20/

Correction Policy: This report is based on legal filings and courtroom developments as of July 20, 2026. Updates will be added as the case develops.