Meta, Google Face Landmark Trial Over Addictive Social Media Design
The case could test whether US courts are willing to hold tech companies liable not for what users post, but for how platforms are built.
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A landmark civil trial has begun in California in which a 20-year-old woman is suing Meta Platforms, the parent of Instagram and Facebook, and Alphabet’s Google, which owns YouTube, alleging that the companies deliberately designed their apps in ways that contributed to her addiction and harmed her mental health.
The plaintiff, identified in court as Kaley G.M., says she became hooked on social media from a young age due to the platforms’ addictive design and that prolonged use contributed to depression and suicidal thoughts. Her lawyers told jurors that internal company materials show the platforms were engineered to maximize engagement, including among children.
Kaley’s attorney, Mark Lanier, argued in opening statements that the companies built “machines designed to addict the brains of children, and they did it on purpose.”
Lanier said internal documents showed awareness of youth addiction risks and that efforts such as parental controls were ineffective.
Meta’s lawyer, Paul Schmidt, countered that the company is not responsible for all aspects of Kaley’s life and pointed to her personal history, including family issues and abuse, as factors in her struggles.
“If you took Instagram away and everything else was the same in Kaley’s life, would her life be completely different?” he asked jurors.
YouTube’s defense team is expected to present its opening statement soon.
Both Meta and Google have denied the allegations.
The trial is being closely watched because a verdict against the tech giants could open the door for similar cases in state courts and weaken longstanding US legal protections for platforms against claims that their designs harm users.
Under US law, internet companies are generally shielded from liability for user-generated content, but this case centers on whether companies can be held liable for their own platform design and operation.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is expected to be called as a witness during the trial, which is likely to stretch into March. The plaintiff herself is also scheduled to testify.
The case is one of thousands of lawsuits filed in California alone by parents, school districts and state attorneys general alleging that social media platforms harm youth mental health.
In related litigation, two other companies named in the original complaint—Snap and TikTok—settled with Kaley before the trial began.
Legal experts said the outcome could influence how tech platforms are regulated and held accountable in future lawsuits. The litigation comes amid growing global scrutiny of youth social media use and addiction, with regulatory actions in countries such as Australia and Spain imposing age restrictions on access to social platforms.
