A jury in California has begun hearing a historic case brought by a 20-year-old woman suing Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, and Alphabet, the parent company of Google and YouTube. She accuses both companies of deliberately designing their products to create addiction in children and young people, resulting in severe mental health impacts.
The California court in the United States has initiated a significant trial in which the lawyers of a 20-year-old woman, identified in court as "Kaylee G.M.", sued Meta Platforms, owner of Facebook and Instagram, and Google, owner of YouTube. They allege that both companies intentionally designed their applications to cause addiction among children and youth.
Plaintiff's attorney Mark Lanier told the jury that internal company documents clearly show "these companies intentionally created machines designed to make children's brains addicted," noting that Kaylee became addicted to social media at a young age due to design features focused on excessively attracting users, which led to depression and suicidal thoughts.
Meta's lawyer, Paul Schmidt, denied the allegations, citing the plaintiff's health records that indicate Kaylee had a history of physical and psychological abuse, as well as a troubled relationship with her divorced parents. He questioned the jury, asking, "If Instagram were removed from Kaylee's life but other life factors remained the same, would her life truly be different?"
Meanwhile, YouTube's legal team is scheduled to open their case today (10 Feb). Other platforms like TikTok and Snap have sought settlements with Kaylee before the trial commenced.
Presiding Judge Caroline Cool stated that companies cannot be sued for recommending content created by others but can be held liable for platform design and management.
This case is a crucial test of U.S. law that currently shields internet companies from liability for user-posted content. However, if this case overturns that principle, it could lead to widespread lawsuits nationwide. Should the jury find Meta and Google guilty of "design defects" and "failure to warn of risks," it would pave the way for over 2,300 similar lawsuits from parents and schools across the country.
Additionally, on the same day in New Mexico, Meta faces another lawsuit accusing it of profiting from allowing youth to be exposed to sexual abuse on its platform and disseminating misinformation that endangers public safety.
The trial takes place amid a global backlash against social media, with countries like Australia and Spain banning children under 16 from accessing social media to protect youth mental health. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is expected to testify in Kaylee's case, with proceedings anticipated to continue through March.