A trial opened Tuesday in Los Angeles in a landmark case alleging that major social media platforms cause addictive and harmful behavior in young users. The trial will test the theory that used even as designed, social media can cause serious harm.
TikTok reached a last-minute settlement with the plaintiff, lawyers said Tuesday. However, Meta’s Instagram and Google’s YouTube will defend their platforms before a jury, and their chief executives — Mark Zuckerberg and Neal Mohan, respectively — are expected to testify.
With more than a dozen similar cases headed to trial in state and federal courts, the outcome in Los Angeles could have ripple effects across the U.S.
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The case
Details of TikTok’s settlement were not immediately disclosed. However, “this is a good resolution, and we are pleased with the settlement,” Mark Lanier, a lawyer for the plaintiff, said in a statement.
Another defendant — Snapchat’s parent, Snap Inc. — previously settled for an undisclosed sum.
Jury selection is expected to last several days, The Associated Press reports, with about 75 potential jurors questioned each day.
The case centers on a woman identified as KGM, now 20 years old, who claims that her addiction to social media as a child led to anxiety, depression and body-image issues and caused her to have suicidal thoughts.
The lawsuit alleges the platforms deliberately cause addiction by using specific design choices meant to increase engagement. That claim could set a new legal precedent for social media companies.
Currently, tech companies are protected from liability for material posted on their platforms by the First Amendment and Section 230. But if the plaintiffs succeed in arguing that tech companies intentionally designed their sites to be addictive, the platforms could face damages for harm done to children.
“Borrowing heavily from the behavioral and neurobiological techniques used by slot machines and exploited by the cigarette industry, Defendants deliberately embedded in their products an array of design features aimed at maximizing youth engagement to drive advertising revenue,” the lawsuit says.
Tech platforms respond
In recent weeks, some tech companies — including Meta — have pushed back, disputing claims that their sites deliberately harm children. In a blog post, Meta said it has established safeguards over the years to protect young users and is not liable for content posted on its platforms.
Meta also said social media should not be singled out as the sole cause of teen mental health challenges.
“Clinicians and researchers find that mental health is a deeply complex and multifaceted issue, and trends regarding teens’ well-being aren’t clear-cut or universal,” the blog post reads. “Narrowing the challenges faced by teens to a single factor ignores the scientific research and the many stressors impacting young people today, like academic pressure, school safety, socio-economic challenges and substance abuse.”
Landmark case
Regardless of the outcome, the trial beginning this week marks a significant moment after years of debate over social media’s impact on youth well-being.
Both President Donald Trump and former President Joe Biden have argued that social media is exacerbating mental health issues, though those claims have been countered by research suggesting social media is not inherently harmful and calling for more research.
If the lawsuit is successful, platforms like Instagram and TikTok could face mandated design changes and expanded legal liability for potential harm to children. Some social media users named in the lawsuit could also receive compensation for harms they experienced.
Social media concerns globally
The U.S. is not the only country moving to restrict youth access to social media. In Australia, lawmakers passed a law banning anyone under 16 from using social media.
Under that law, companies must implement safeguards to prevent users under 16 from creating accounts or logging in. It’s a ban that many other countries are closely watching to see whether similar measures could be adopted.
On Tuesday, French lawmakers approved a bill banning social media for children under 15. The vote clears the way for the law to take effect at the start of the next school year in September.
“Banning social media for those under 15: this is what scientists recommend, and this is what the French people are overwhelmingly calling for,” French President Emmanuel Macron said after the vote. “Because our children’s brains are not for sale — neither to American platforms nor to Chinese networks. Because their dreams must not be dictated by algorithms.”
The British government is also considering banning young teens from social media.
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Up to 95% of U.S. teens ages 13–17 report using at least one social media platform, with nearly half describing their usage as “almost constantly”.