Two of the world’s largest social media companies are heading into a closely watched jury trial in Los Angeles over allegations that they deliberately built features that foster addiction among young users. The case is being compared to the wave of litigation that confronted tobacco companies decades ago, according to Bloomberg.
At the center of the trial is a 20-year-old woman from Chico, California, identified in court filings as K.G.M. because she was a minor when she filed suit. She alleges that more than a decade of near-constant use of platforms including Meta Platforms Inc.’s Instagram and Google’s YouTube contributed to anxiety, depression and body dysmorphia. The case marks the first trial of its kind and could expose the companies to billions of dollars in damages, according to Bloomberg.
Thousands of related lawsuits are pending nationwide against Meta, Google, Snap Inc. and TikTok parent ByteDance Ltd. However, TikTok and Snap are not parties to the Los Angeles proceedings after reaching confidential settlements with K.G.M., per Bloomberg. The California trial is the first in a series expected this year.
More than 3,000 lawsuits have been filed across the United States by children, teenagers and young adults — in some cases through parents or other relatives — alleging psychological harm, physical impairment and even death linked to social media use, according to Bloomberg. In addition, dozens of state attorneys general have filed their own actions against the companies, and public school districts have submitted more than 1,200 complaints seeking compensation for student-related harms. The first trial among the school district cases is scheduled for June in Oakland, California, per Bloomberg.
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The lawsuits contend that Meta, Google, TikTok and Snap intentionally engineered their platforms to keep young users engaged for prolonged periods, exploiting the vulnerability of developing brains. Rather than focusing on the specific content users encounter, the claims center on product design and functionality, drawing parallels to past product liability cases involving cigarettes, asbestos and defective medical devices.
High-profile executives have already taken the stand. Instagram head Adam Mosseri testified on Feb. 11. Meta Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg followed on Feb. 18, stating that it is “very difficult” to enforce the company’s rule barring children under 13 from joining because many misrepresent their age when creating accounts. Zuckerberg also disputed accusations that Meta targets teens to drive profits, saying that teenagers account for just 1% of the company’s revenue, according to Bloomberg.
Jurors are expected to hear from competing expert witnesses in child psychology and related fields. K.G.M.’s attorney has indicated he plans to call her to testify later in the trial, along with possibly her mother and sister, per Bloomberg.
The individual personal injury claims seek compensation for mental health treatment costs and other financial losses, as well as damages for pain and suffering. Plaintiffs are also pursuing punitive damages, which would require demonstrating that the companies acted with willful and reckless disregard for user safety. If the companies were to lose multiple trials, pressure could intensify for settlements potentially reaching tens or even hundreds of billions of dollars, according to Bloomberg Intelligence.
In a research note, Bloomberg Intelligence said, “Social-media companies likely can neither avoid paying hundreds of millions of dollars — and potentially far more — nor dodge changing practices.”
The lawsuits brought by school districts aim to recover funds for hiring more mental health counselors and security personnel, as well as for training educators to better identify and respond to student distress. They are also seeking court orders requiring changes to platform features, including enhanced parental controls and modifications to engagement-driven algorithms. Similarly, state attorneys general are requesting mandates to eliminate what they characterize as addictive design elements that exploit children’s brain development for profit, according to Bloomberg.
Source: Bloomberg
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