Meta is heading into a high stakes legal battle in Los Angeles as major social media companies prepare to face a jury over allegations that their platforms harm young people. The case focuses on whether platform design choices knowingly encouraged addictive behavior and worsened mental health issues among teenagers, bringing long standing concerns into a courtroom after years of public and political debate.
The lawsuit was filed by a 19 year old California woman identified as KGM and her mother Karen Glenn. They accused TikTok, Meta, Snap and Google owned YouTube of creating addictive features that led to anxiety depression self harm and suicidal thoughts. TikTok settled the case a day before trial under undisclosed terms and Snap reached a similar settlement last week. The case will now proceed against Meta and YouTube. KGM is seeking unspecified monetary damages and the outcome could influence more than 1000 similar personal injury cases. Senior executives from Meta YouTube and TikTok are expected to testify during the trial which is set to last several weeks.
KGM began using social media at age 10 despite efforts by her mother to block access using third party software. The complaint says the platforms were designed in ways that allowed children to bypass parental consent. It alleges that constant notifications and recommendation features drove compulsive use and worsened KGM mental health. The suit also claims that features on Instagram and Snapchat connected her with strangers including predatory adults. She was allegedly bullied and sextorted on Instagram and it took 14 days and repeated reporting by friends and family for action to be taken. The complaint states that the companies conduct caused anxiety depression self harm and body dysmorphia.
The companies deny the allegations. Tech leaders have argued there is no clear evidence that social media directly harms youth mental health and say their platforms offer connection and entertainment. They also point to safety tools such as teen accounts parental controls content restrictions and AI systems to identify minor users. A Meta spokesperson said the lawsuits “misportray our company and the work we do every day to provide young people with safe, valuable experiences online.” A YouTube spokesperson said the claims are “simply not true.” Advocates argue the case could be a turning point. “These are the tobacco trials of our generation and for the first time, families across the country will hear directly from big tech CEOs about how they intentionally designed their products to addict our kids.”
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