Meta Faces Tennessee Instagram Trial

Meta Platforms faces a jury trial in Tennessee over allegations that Instagram was deliberately designed to encourage compulsive use among children and teenagers and that the company misrepresented the platform’s safety.

Jury selection began in Nashville on 20 July in State of Tennessee v Meta Platforms, Inc. and Instagram, LLC, a civil enforcement action filed in October 2023 by Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti. The seven-week trial is being heard in the Chancery Court of Davidson County and will initially determine whether the defendants violated the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act.

The Attorney General’s Office alleges that Meta Platforms failed to disclose internal research linking Instagram use to harm among young people. It says features including autoplay, Reels, notifications and disappearing content were intended to keep younger users engaged.

The complaint also alleges that Meta founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg received warnings from employees about the effect of the platform on teenagers but did not provide sufficient funding to reduce those risks.

Meta denies the allegations. The company says Instagram offers age-appropriate defaults, parental controls and other safeguards for teenagers. It has also argued that Tennessee’s case seeks to hold it responsible for material posted by users and that Section 230 of the federal Communications Decency Act protects it from liability for third-party content.

The distinction between claims based on third-party content and those directed at Meta’s own product design is therefore likely to be central to the proceedings.

If the jury finds a breach of Tennessee law, the case will move to a second phase in which the judge will consider financial penalties and possible changes to Instagram. The Tennessee Consumer Protection Act permits penalties of up to $1,000 for each violation, while the state is also seeking injunctive relief requiring changes to features it considers harmful.

The trial forms part of a wider series of state and private claims concerning young users. A New Mexico jury imposed $375 million in civil penalties earlier in 2026 after finding that Meta had misled consumers about the safety of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.

Meta and Snap Inc. also face a separate trial beginning on 27 July in a claim brought by a Florida teenager identified as R.K.C., while a federal trial involving 29 states is scheduled for 18 August in California.

Tennessee’s case puts consumer protection law to a real test, does it reach into platform design, internal safety research and what executives say publicly about known risks? Lawyers advising tech companies would do well to keep design decisions, risk assessments and leadership’s response to safety findings on record now, before the next claim lands.

Comparable cases will hinge on a sharper distinction: is the allegation about the product itself, or about content users posted on it? That line matters for Section 230. Whatever the jury decides and whatever injunction follows, will likely set the tone for pleadings and defence strategy across the related cases now stacking up for trial.