A Los Angeles courtroom is hosting a first-of-its-kind trial this week that could mark a turning point in efforts to hold major social media companies legally accountable for alleged harm to children.
The case accuses tech giants of deliberately designing their platforms to be addictive to minors, contributing to depression, suicidal thoughts, and other serious mental health challenges.
The trial centers on a 19-year-old plaintiff identified as K.G.M., who alleges that prolonged use of platforms including Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube led to significant mental health struggles beginning in childhood.
Court filings argue these harms were not incidental but the foreseeable result of intentional design choices aimed at maximizing youth engagement and advertising revenue.
Originally, the case included Meta, Snap, TikTok, and YouTube.
However, Snap and TikTok reached settlements for undisclosed amounts just before proceedings began, leaving Meta and YouTube as the remaining defendants facing potential damages, according to The Guardian.
Legal analysts have described the case as a bellwether that could influence similar lawsuits nationwide.
Attorneys representing K.G.M. argue that features such as infinite scroll, autoplay, and algorithm-driven recommendations mirror behavioral techniques previously used by the tobacco and gambling industries.
According to the Associated Press, the lawsuit states that defendants “deliberately embedded” these features to keep young users engaged for longer periods, driving advertising revenue at the expense of child safety.
Matthew Bergman, founding attorney of the Social Media Victims Law Center, said the case challenges the broad legal protections tech companies have enjoyed under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.
“There is a lost generation of kids. This was not an accident, this was not a coincidence… this was a design choice,” Bergman said, according to The Washington Examiner.
Meta and YouTube have strongly denied the allegations.
Meta has argued that teen mental health issues are complex and influenced by many factors beyond social media use, while YouTube spokesperson José Castañeda called the claims “simply not true” and pointed to safeguards and parental controls implemented on the platform.
Executives expected to testify include Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Instagram head Adam Mosseri, and YouTube CEO Neal Mohan.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs say unsealed internal documents may reveal company employees acknowledging the addictive nature of their platforms despite public denials.
The trial is expected to last six to eight weeks and is the first of approximately 22 bellwether cases within a larger judicial coordination proceeding involving more than 1,600 plaintiffs, including families and school districts.
Plaintiffs are seeking both financial damages and court-ordered reforms that could reshape social media platform design nationwide.
Legal experts have compared the proceedings to the landmark tobacco litigation of the 1990s, which exposed internal industry practices and resulted in sweeping restrictions on marketing to minors.
Observers say a ruling against Meta or YouTube could significantly alter the tech landscape and open the door to further lawsuits against social media companies.
As the case moves forward, parents, educators, and policymakers across the country are closely watching the outcome, viewing the trial as a critical test of accountability for powerful technology companies accused of prioritizing profit over the well-being of children.
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