The world’s largest social media companies have been accused of creating addiction machines as a landmark trial began in California examining the mental health effects of Instagram and YouTube. In his opening argument before Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Carolyn B. Kuhl and a jury, Mark Lanier argued that his client, plaintiff K.G.M., suffered from mental health issues as a result of her social media addiction.
These companies built machines designed to addict the brains of children, and they did it on purpose, Lanier said. Lawyers for Meta and YouTube told the jury that K.G.M.'s addiction stemmed from other issues in her life, not their negligence.
Lanier also charged that Meta and YouTube failed to warn of the dangers to young users posed by their platform designs. K.G.M. will be referred to by her initials or as Kaley G.M., as the alleged harms occurred when she was a minor.
Lanier argued that Meta and YouTube's designs are intentionally addictive, presenting evidence of internal communications that indicated a focus on increasing user engagement, including a 2015 email from Mark Zuckerberg that called for a 12% increase in time spent on Meta platforms. He accused YouTube of targeting young users for advertisers' profit, equating its platform to a digital babysitting service.
During the trial, jurors are expected to hear from family members of children adversely affected by social media, including whistelblowers from within Meta. This trial could set a precedent for numerous similar cases pending across the nation, posing critical questions regarding the liability of social media platforms for the mental wellbeing of their young users.
These companies built machines designed to addict the brains of children, and they did it on purpose, Lanier said. Lawyers for Meta and YouTube told the jury that K.G.M.'s addiction stemmed from other issues in her life, not their negligence.
Lanier also charged that Meta and YouTube failed to warn of the dangers to young users posed by their platform designs. K.G.M. will be referred to by her initials or as Kaley G.M., as the alleged harms occurred when she was a minor.
Lanier argued that Meta and YouTube's designs are intentionally addictive, presenting evidence of internal communications that indicated a focus on increasing user engagement, including a 2015 email from Mark Zuckerberg that called for a 12% increase in time spent on Meta platforms. He accused YouTube of targeting young users for advertisers' profit, equating its platform to a digital babysitting service.
During the trial, jurors are expected to hear from family members of children adversely affected by social media, including whistelblowers from within Meta. This trial could set a precedent for numerous similar cases pending across the nation, posing critical questions regarding the liability of social media platforms for the mental wellbeing of their young users.
