Meta, YouTube ‘Designed Apps to Addict Children’, Jury Told as Trial Opens

Meta Platforms and YouTube deliberately designed their products to be addictive to children, a jury in California was told on Monday, as a closely watched trial opened that could reshape the legal landscape for major technology companies.

 

The lawsuit has been filed by a 20-year-old woman, identified in court as Kaley G.M., against Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, and Google, which owns YouTube. Her lawyers allege that the companies knowingly engineered their platforms to exploit children’s psychological vulnerabilities.

 

Addressing jurors, Kaley’s lawyer, Mark Lanier, said internal company documents show that the firms “built machines designed to addict the brains of children, and they did it on purpose”. He argued that Kaley became hooked on social media at a young age due to the apps’ design features.

 

Meta’s lawyer, Paul Schmidt, rejected the claims, telling the jury that Kaley’s medical records point to a troubled upbringing, including verbal and physical abuse and her parents’ divorce when she was three years old. He questioned whether removing Instagram alone would have changed the course of her life.

 

YouTube’s lawyer is expected to deliver opening arguments on Tuesday. Both Meta and Google have denied the allegations.

 

Legal observers say a verdict against the companies could open the door to similar claims in state courts and weaken the technology industry’s long-standing legal protections against liability for user harm. Meta, Google, TikTok and Snap are facing thousands of related lawsuits in California.

 

Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg is expected to testify during the trial, which is likely to continue into March. TikTok and Snap reached settlements with Kaley before proceedings began. Kaley herself is also expected to give evidence, alleging that the platforms worsened her depression and suicidal thoughts.

 

Her legal team aims to show that the companies were negligent in the design of their platforms, failed to adequately warn users of the risks, and played a substantial role in her injuries. If the jury agrees, it will consider damages for pain and suffering, as well as possible punitive damages.

 

The companies are expected to argue that other factors in Kaley’s life contributed to her condition and to highlight their efforts to improve youth safety online.

 

The trial judge, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Carolyn Kuhl, has instructed jurors that the companies cannot be held liable for content created by third parties, but only for their own design and operation of the platforms.

 

Under US law, internet companies are generally shielded from liability for user-generated content. If the jury rejects that defence, it could pave the way for further lawsuits alleging that social media platforms are harmful by design.

 

The case forms part of a wider legal backlash against social media companies in the United States. More than 2,300 similar lawsuits have been filed by parents, school districts and state attorneys general in federal court. Separately, a jury in New Mexico is hearing a case accusing Meta of profiting from its platforms while exposing children to harm.

 

The surge in litigation reflects a growing global concern over the impact of social media on children’s mental health. Australia and Spain have already barred under-16s from accessing social media platforms, while several other countries are considering similar restrictions.

 

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