Meta faces Tennessee trial over allegations Instagram was designed to be addictive

Meta Platforms faces a seven-week Tennessee trial over allegations that Instagram was intentionally designed to be addictive and harmful to teens. Tennessee claims Meta violated consumer protection law by hiding internal research, misleading the public about safety, and failing to warn users about harmful features such as autoplay, Reels, notifications, and disappearing content. The state is seeking financial penalties and a court order forcing platform changes, which could create operational and legal precedent for Meta. The case adds to a growing wave of youth-safety litigation against social media companies; a New Mexico jury already awarded $375 million in a similar Meta case earlier this year. The trial begins Monday in Nashville and may overlap with other Meta lawsuits in California, keeping regulatory and litigation risk elevated for the shares.