Meta faces a legal showdown that could carry a penalty nearly as large as the company itself, threatening to reshape how social media works. In Oakland, California, a bipartisan coalition of 29 states is accusing Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, of misleading the public about child safety and deliberately designing its platforms to encourage compulsive use among young people. Meta says its potential liability could reach $1.4T, roughly the size of its market capitalisation.
