Meta trial puts youth social media harms back in focus as documentary releases Oct. 6

A new documentary about Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen will arrive on Oct. 6, 2026, as Meta faces a seven-week federal trial in Oakland over claims its platforms were engineered to addict children. The film lands as courts, lawmakers and regulators intensify scrutiny of social media harms to young people.

Why it matters: - Meta is facing a high-stakes federal trial in Oakland over claims Facebook and Instagram were designed to be addictive to children. - The case could lead to damages Meta has estimated could reach $1.4 trillion, near its market value. - The documentary Your Attention Please lands the same month the verdict is expected, tying the film’s release to a broader accountability fight. - The film also arrives as lawmakers, courts and regulators move on youth online safety in the U.S. and abroad.

What happened: - Your Attention Please will be available to rent or own on Oct. 6, 2026. - The film premiered in the Documentary Spotlight section at SXSW 2026. - A preorder is live now on Apple TV. - Meta’s trial opened in a federal courtroom in Oakland as a coalition of state attorneys general presented its case. - Mark Zuckerberg is expected to take the stand during the seven-week trial.

The details: - The film follows families dealing with the emotional toll of social media products, along with whistleblowers, parents and young people who are pushing back. - Sara Robin directed the film, and Jack LeMay co-created it. - The documentary includes interviews with Frances Haugen, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Tristan Harris, Sherry Turkle and Cal Newport. - The film also features Kristin Bride, founder of the Carson J. Bride Effect; Trisha Prabhu, founder of ReThink; and the founders of The Offline Club. - Haugen is identified in the film as the former Facebook product manager whose disclosures reshaped the global debate over platform accountability. - Bride has testified before Congress after the death of her son, Carson, from social media harms. - Prabhu created ReThink at age 13 to fight cyberbullying. - The Offline Club has drawn thousands to leave their devices at the door. - The film runs 96 minutes. - Additional materials are available through the press assets. - A trailer is also available.

Between the lines: - The film frames social media harm as engineered behavior rather than an accidental byproduct of growth. - That argument mirrors the legal and political shift now underway, where the debate is moving from awareness to liability, regulation and product design. - The source material points to a widening front: a Los Angeles jury found Meta and Google liable for addictive design earlier this year, thousands of federal suits are cleared to proceed, and new laws and school policies are tightening around youth screen use. - Tristan Harris argues the same design logic that shaped social media could be repeated in AI if incentives are not changed.

What's next: - The Meta trial is expected to run seven weeks, with a decision due in October. - The film will travel to New Mexico for a special screening with state leaders this fall, with full details still to come. - The Kids Online Safety Act has advanced in the Senate with bipartisan support, signaling more federal pressure ahead. - New York’s SAFE for Kids Act takes effect in 2027. - England’s phone-free schools guidance now has statutory force, and Australia’s under-16 account ban has already led to nearly five million account removals.

The bottom line: - Your Attention Please is releasing into the middle of a broader reckoning over how social platforms shape kids’ lives, and whether those harms were built into the products from the start.