The figure, disclosed in a recent court filing, mirrors Meta’s current market capitalization and stems from penalty calculations based on state laws in California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey. Meta dismissed the demand as baseless, asserting that such a massive sanction has no precedent in the history of consumer protection enforcement. The company maintains that its platforms are not inherently addictive and that claims regarding deceptive safety practices lack evidentiary support.

U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers rejected Meta’s attempt to halt the proceedings last month, citing significant factual disputes that require a trial. While the current case focuses on violations of state consumer protection laws and federal privacy statutes, it represents only a fraction of the legal pressure facing the tech giant. Thousands of lawsuits across the country accuse Meta, along with Alphabet, ByteDance, and Snap, of fueling a national mental health crisis among adolescents through deliberately engaging design features.