A closely watched trial has begun in Los Angeles, where major social media companies face allegations that their platforms were designed to addict young users and harm their mental health.
The case is being heard before Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Carolyn B. Kuhl and a jury. In his opening statement, attorney Mark Lanier argued that his client, referred to as “K.G.M.” or Kaley G.M., developed mental health problems due to social media addiction that began when she was a minor.
“These companies built machines designed to addict the brains of children, and they did it on purpose,” Lanier said.
Lanier accused Meta and YouTube of failing to warn users about risks linked to platform design. Displaying children’s blocks marked “Addicting,” “Brains,” and “Children,” he told jurors, “This case is about two of the richest corporations in history who have engineered addiction in children’s brains.” He added, “I’m going to show you the addiction machine that they built, the internal documents that people normally don’t get to see, and emails from Mark Zuckerberg and YouTube executives.”
Lanier presented part of a 2015 email in which Zuckerberg sought a “time spent increases by 12%” target. He also claimed YouTube targeted young users because it could “charge advertisers more” than on YouTube Kids, and accused it of acting as a “digital babysitting service.”
Meta’s attorney Paul Schmidt countered that K.G.M.’s struggles were linked to family issues, including neglect, abuse, bullying, and therapy from age 3. Referring to statements about her home life, Schmidt said, “I recognise those are tough quotes. In a case that’s about psychological distress, that is what you have to consider.”
The 6-week trial may influence thousands of similar cases nationwide. Testimony is expected from Zuckerberg, Instagram head Adam Mosseri, and YouTube CEO Neal Mohan, along with experts and former Meta whistleblowers.
Separately, 29 state Attorneys General have sought an injunction requiring Meta to remove accounts of users under 13, delete related data and AI tools, and limit features such as infinite scroll and autoplay. A group of 18 attorneys also requested time restrictions and removal of beauty filters, calling Meta’s teen safety updates “a public relations measure offering minimal real protections for teen users on the platforms”.
Snap and TikTok settled with K.G.M. last month and are no longer defendants.
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