A major social media addiction trial has started in California, where Instagram and YouTube face serious claims about their impact on children’s mental health.
Lawyers for the plaintiff say the world’s largest tech companies built platforms that hook young users on purpose. The case centers on a girl identified as K.G.M., also called Kaley G.M., who says she developed mental health problems because of her addiction to social media. Her initials are used because the alleged harm happened when she was a minor.
Lawyers Claim Platforms Were Designed to Hook Children
During opening statements in Los Angeles Superior Court, attorney Mark Lanier argued that Meta and YouTube created systems that target children’s brains.
He told the jury that the companies designed features to keep kids online for longer periods. To make his point, he placed children’s blocks in front of him labeled with words like “Addicting,” “Brains,” and “Children.”
Lanier also presented internal company emails. In one 2015 email shown in court, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg reportedly pushed for a 12% increase in time spent on the platform to meet business goals.
Lanier claimed YouTube targeted young users because advertisers pay more to reach them. He also accused the platform of acting as a “digital babysitter” for busy parents.
According to the lawsuit, both companies failed to warn families about the potential mental health risks linked to their platform designs.
Defense Says Other Factors Caused Mental Health Struggles
Lawyers for Meta and YouTube rejected the claims. Meta’s attorney, Paul Schmidt, argued that Instagram was not a key factor in K.G.M.’s mental health challenges.
He told the jury that she experienced family neglect, verbal abuse, and domestic violence long before using social media. Court records show she began therapy at the age of three.
Schmidt displayed statements in which K.G.M. described her mother yelling at her and calling her hurtful names. He urged jurors to consider her home environment when assessing her psychological distress.
The companies also argue that federal law protects them from liability for content posted by third parties.
Trial Could Shape Future Social Media Lawsuits
The six-week trial could influence thousands of similar cases across the United States. Families, school districts, and state prosecutors have filed lawsuits claiming social media platforms harm young users.
In a separate case, 29 state attorneys general asked a federal judge to order Meta to remove accounts belonging to children under 13. They also want the company to delete data collected from those users and remove algorithms built on that information.
Eighteen of those states also requested limits on school-time and late-night usage. They asked the court to disable features like infinite scroll, autoplay, and beauty filters.
Meta says it has introduced safety measures for teen accounts, including stronger content filters. However, state officials argue these changes offer limited protection.
Over the coming weeks, the court will hear from expert witnesses, former employees, and top executives, including Zuckerberg, Instagram head Adam Mosseri, and YouTube CEO Neal Mohan.
Snapchat’s parent company Snap and TikTok have already settled with K.G.M. and are no longer part of the case.
The outcome may set a financial benchmark for future lawsuits and reshape how social media companies design their platforms for young users.
