Meta reveals $2.4bn in legal costs, warns of addictive design trials' price tag
By Mike Swift ( July 30, 2026, 00:13 GMT | Insight) -- Meta Platforms unpleasntly surprised investors in reporting $2.4 billion in second-quarter legal charges as it defended youth-related addictive design trials in the US, with those legal charges helping drive Meta's expenses up by 55 percent, to $42 billion, in the quarter. Meta's chief financial officer warned Wall Street analysts of "active legal and regulatory matters that could significantly impact our business and financial results," adding that the US addictive design trials "may ultimately result in a material loss" for the company.Meta Platforms on Wednesday called out $2.4 billion in legal costs in the second quarter when the social media giant lost addictive design trials in Los Angeles and New Mexico, as it again warned investors about the potential future impact of youth-related trials and regulation....
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