Meta Platforms is heading to trial in Nashville on July 21, 2026, facing accusations that Instagram was deliberately engineered to hook children and teenagers. The Tennessee Attorney General isn’t mincing words, calling the platform an “addiction machine” and arguing it has fueled a youth mental health crisis.
What Tennessee is alleging
The state’s case rests on two core claims. First, that Instagram was intentionally designed with features meant to maximize compulsive usage among young people. Second, that Meta misled the public about how safe its platform actually was for minors.
Tennessee is pursuing the case under state consumer protection laws. The state wants financial penalties and, perhaps more consequentially, a court order forcing Meta to redesign parts of Instagram itself.
Jury selection is scheduled for the Monday preceding the July 21 trial date.
