Meta and YouTube Accused Over Addictive Apps for Kids
Leading social media corporations have been charged with developing platforms that foster addiction, as a significant trial commenced in California probing into the psychological impacts of Instagram and YouTube. During his introductory statement to the Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Carolyn B. Kuhl and the jury, Mark Lanier contended that his client, identified as ‘K.G.M.’. Experienced mental health challenges due to her excessive engagement with social media platforms.
The plaintiff said that she was hooked on social media at a young age because of the apps' addictive design, her lawyer Mark Lanier told jurors. Lanier said that internal company documents show that, "these companies built machines designed to addict the brains of children, and they did it on purpose."
YouTube's lawyer is expected to give an opening statement this week. Both companies have denied the allegations.
A verdict against the tech companies could smooth the way for similar cases in state court, and shake the industry's longstanding US legal defense against claims of user harm. Google, Meta, TikTok and Snap face thousands of lawsuits in California.
Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg is expected to be called as a witness at the trial, which is likely to stretch into March. TikTok and Snap settled with Kaley before the trial.
K.G.M is also expected to testify. She alleges the apps fueled her depression and suicidal thoughts and she is seeking to hold the companies liable for worsening her mental health.
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Her lawyers aim to show that the companies were negligent in their design of the apps, that they failed to warn the public about the risks, and that the platforms were a substantial factor in her injuries.
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If they succeed, the jury will consider whether to award her damages for pain and suffering, and could also impose punitive damages.
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The conclusion of the trial has the potential to establish a standard for financial compensation that could have significant implications for numerous legal cases initiated by various parties such as plaintiffs, their relatives, state attorneys, and educational institutions throughout the country.