Meta is defending itself in court in California.

The court is hearing lawsuits about its apps and children.

Four states say Meta makes features to keep young users on Instagram and Facebook.

The states want billions of dollars in damages.

They also want Meta to change how its apps work.

Meta’s lawyer, Paul Schmidt, spoke first.

He said the company cares about children’s mental health.

He said Meta tries to act on this.

Critics say Meta does not do enough to keep users safe.

Marc Berkman leads the Organization for Social Media Safety.

He said Meta added safety tools because people pushed for them.

He said the company did not act because it cared.

He said there is “lack of real institutional willingness to act here.”

Meta says it has made changes.

These changes include tools to block users.

They also include tools to filter bad comments.

Meta warns people before they post harmful content.

The company stops adults from starting private chats with teens they do not know.

It also checks that users under 13 are not online.

In 2024, Meta started “Teen Accounts.”

It calls this a safe space.

It limits photos and videos like a PG-13 movie.

Critics say these changes are mostly for show.

A report came out in September 2025.

It was from whistleblower Arturo Béjar and four nonprofits.

The report said Meta did not take real steps for youth safety.

Haley Hinkle works at Fairplay as policy counsel.

She said the group checked 47 of Meta’s 53 teen safety features.

They found 60% were not available or did not work as promised.

Meta called the report’s findings “misleading” and “dangerously speculative.”

Researchers also say Meta has not reduced addictive design enough.

Ashley Shea is a Ph.D. candidate at Cornell University.

She talked about features like infinite scrolling and push notifications.

She said these features “prey on the cognitive vulnerabilities” of young people.

She said Meta has worked on cyberbullying and predators.

But it has not worked on the addictive impact of these designs.

Meta says its time management tools show progress.

These tools include parental controls and “nudges.”

Hinkle called the tools “entirely voluntary.”

She said they are “far too little too late.”

Béjar said a tool called “Take a Break” is “designed to fail.”

Few users turn it on.

Shea said legal pressure could push companies to change.

She added that “the momentum only continues to grow.”