Meta, YouTube, and TikTok are heading to a landmark trial in Los Angeles, accused by hundreds of US families of designing their platforms to be intentionally addictive and harmful to young people. The proceedings, beginning Tuesday in Los Angeles superior court, mark the first time such a large group of parents, teens, and school districts has taken on the world’s most powerful social media companies in open court.
The plaintiffs, comprising approximately 1,600 individuals including more than 350 families and 250 school districts, allege that once young users become hooked on these platforms, they suffer from depression, eating disorders, self-harm, and other mental health issues. The initial trial involves a 19-year-old identified as KGM, who claims she developed mental health problems after becoming addicted to social media apps as a child.
Matthew Bergman, founder of the Social Media Victims Law Center and attorney for the plaintiffs, described the trial as unprecedented. The case is the first of about 22 'bellwether' trials designed to test jury reactions and potential verdicts, ultimately covering thousands of lawsuits coordinated in a judicial council coordination proceeding.
Key witnesses are expected to include top executives such as Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, Snap’s Evan Spiegel, YouTube’s Neal Mohan, and Instagram’s Adam Mosseri. Snap and TikTok have reached settlements with the plaintiff in the initial case, denying wrongdoing, while Meta and YouTube have not settled. YouTube spokesperson José Castañeda called the allegations 'simply not true', stating that providing a safe experience for young people has always been core to their work.
The plaintiffs are seeking financial damages and injunctive relief that would change platform design and establish industry-wide safety standards. Lawyers are drawing parallels to the 1990s tobacco litigation, focusing on internal documents that may reveal company knowledge of the addictive nature of their products. Julia Duncan of the American Association for Justice noted that unsealed documents could show employees admitting to the addictive design features such as infinite scroll and video autoplay.
