Meta Shares Fall 1% Pre-Market as Youth Addiction Trial Set to Begin

TradingKey - Meta's youth addiction trial begins today, as spreading market panic continues to push its stock price lower in pre-market trading.

On August 18, under the shadow of negative news from the trial, Meta (META) stock extended its downward trend, falling nearly 1% in pre-market trading to temporarily trade at $564.91. Yesterday, Meta's stock price plummeted from a previous high of $590 to a low of $568.97, recording a single-day drop of nearly 4%.

Meta stock price chart, Source: TradingView

Meta is currently facing lawsuits from 29 U.S. states alleging that it violated the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, including collecting children's personal information without parental consent, as well as using precise algorithmic recommendations and notification mechanisms to addict teenagers.

The lawsuit was jointly initiated by state Attorneys General (AGs) from California, Colorado, New Jersey, Kentucky, and other states. They are demanding $1.4 trillion in potential fines and compensation (close to Meta's current market capitalization of $1.45 trillion), and state governments are also asking the court to compel Meta to change its product designs, including eliminating infinite scrolling, strictly limiting usage time for minors, and mandating age verification.

Previously, a court ordered Meta to pay nearly $942 million in fines to New Mexico over similar youth protection vulnerabilities, and today's ruling in California federal court will serve as a bellwether for thousands of lawsuits filed by schools and families nationwide. Facing the impact of massive legal liability risks and regulatory uncertainty, market panic has heightened, keeping Meta's stock price under heavy pressure recently and suppressed below $600.