US trial accuses Meta, YouTube of designing addictive social media

Several landmark trials in the United States are putting social media companies under scrutiny for harm to children. On February 9, Instagram owner Meta and Google-owned YouTube went on trial in Los Angeles County Superior Court in one of the first US jury cases accusing the platforms of deliberately designing addictive products that damage young users' mental health.

TikTok and Snap, initially named in the case, settled earlier for undisclosed sums. Legal analysts are treating this trial as a bellwether that could influence hundreds of similar lawsuits across the country, DW writes. 

Allegations of engineered addiction

Mark Lanier, the lawyer representing 20-year-old plaintiff identified by her initials "KGM," told jurors the companies "engineered addiction in children's brains," citing internal documents and research.

The plaintiff contends that she suffered severe mental harm after becoming addicted to social media as a child. According to Lanier, she began using YouTube at six and Instagram at nine, posting 284 YouTube videos before finishing elementary school.

"They don't only build apps; they build traps," Lanier said.

Defence arguments

Lawyers for Meta countered that there is no scientific consensus on social media addiction and argued the plaintiff's mental health struggles stemmed from family issues, emotional abuse, body image issues, and bullying, rather than platform use.

Jose Castaneda, a YouTube spokesperson, said: "The allegations in these complaints are simply not true."

Executives including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram head Adam Mosseri are expected to testify during the trial, which is set to last several weeks. The tech companies deny the allegations, citing safeguards for young users and protections under US law.

Global context

The verdict could have far-reaching implications for how social media platforms are regulated and designed for children. Debates over restrictions on social media for minors are intensifying worldwide.

Meanwhile, on February 9, opening statements began in a New Mexico trial alleging that Meta failed to protect young users from sexual exploitation. In June, a bellwether trial in Oakland, California, will examine claims from school districts that social media platforms have harmed children.

Internationally, Australia banned the use of social media platforms by children under 16 last year, while France will enforce a similar ban for those under 15 starting in September. Preliminary findings published by the European Commission on February 6 also flagged TikTok's "addictive design" as a potential breach of European Union law.

By Sabina Mammadli