Jury Told Meta and Google Engineered Addiction in Children as Landmark US Social Media Trial Begins
A landmark trial unfolding in a Los Angeles courtroom has put the world’s biggest social media companies under intense scrutiny, as a jury hears claims that Meta and Google deliberately designed their platforms to be addictive for children.
Meta, the parent company of Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, along with Google-owned YouTube, is accused of pushing highly engaging and addictive features that allegedly harmed young users’ mental health. The case could set a powerful legal precedent in the United States, potentially shaping how future lawsuits against social media giants are handled.
In opening statements, plaintiffs’ attorney Mark Lanier accused the companies of intentionally exploiting children’s developing brains. Standing before the jury, Lanier used children’s toy blocks to simplify his argument, saying the case was about addicting brains and children. He claimed that the platforms were not just apps, but carefully designed traps built around addiction by design.
Lanier argued that young users were drawn into endless cycles of content consumption, comparing the platforms’ design choices to slot machines engineered to keep people playing. He said parents were never warned that the real goal was to create dependency, even among very young children.
Meta’s legal team strongly rejected these claims. Attorney Paul Schmidt told the jury that the evidence would show other factors in the plaintiff’s life played a much larger role in her struggles. He argued that family issues and real-world bullying affected her self-esteem and mental health, not Instagram. Schmidt also noted that medical records presented in court do not mention a diagnosis of social media addiction.
At the center of the case is a 20-year-old woman, identified as Kaley G.M., who alleges she suffered serious mental harm after becoming addicted to social media as a child. The trial is being closely watched because it is considered a bellwether case, meaning its outcome could influence hundreds of similar lawsuits already filed across the country.
Social media companies are facing a growing wave of legal action accusing them of contributing to depression, eating disorders, psychiatric hospitalizations and other serious harms among young users. Some lawsuits even claim links to suicide, intensifying public concern.
Plaintiffs’ lawyers are drawing comparisons to past legal battles against the tobacco industry, where companies were accused of knowingly selling addictive products despite clear health risks.
During the trial, expert witnesses are expected to testify that children’s brains are not fully developed and are especially vulnerable to algorithm-driven content designed to maximize engagement. The plaintiffs argue that these systems overwhelm young users, making it difficult for them to disengage.
The companies maintain that they are protected under Section 230 of the US Communications Decency Act, which limits liability for user-generated content. However, this case challenges that protection by focusing on the platforms’ business models and design choices rather than individual posts.
Meta stated that it disagrees with the allegations and emphasized that it has introduced new safety measures for young users, saying it is always working to do better. YouTube also denied the claims, with spokesperson Jose Castaneda stating that the allegations are simply not true.
Snapchat and TikTok were initially named in the lawsuit but reached settlements before the trial began. The terms of those agreements were not disclosed. Meanwhile, similar cases are moving through courts across the US, including a separate lawsuit in New Mexico accusing Meta of prioritizing profit over the wellbeing of young users.