Asger Risom
A California jury is weighing claims that Instagram and YouTube deliberately engineered addictive features for children, in a trial that could reshape social media regulation in the United States.
A courtroom in Los Angeles has become the focal point of a national reckoning over social media and children’s mental health.
At stake is whether some of the world’s most powerful technology companies deliberately engineered platforms to keep young users hooked.
Opening accusations
The trial began with stark allegations against Meta and Google, the owners of Instagram and YouTube. Lawyers for the plaintiff argued the companies knowingly designed their platforms to exploit the psychology of children.
Mark Lanier, representing the teenage plaintiff identified as K.G.M., told jurors the companies built systems meant to “addict the brains of children.” He said internal documents and emails would show engagement targets drove key design decisions.
The alleged harms occurred while K.G.M. was a minor. The court is referring to her by initials to protect her identity.
Internal pressure
Lanier highlighted a 2015 email in which Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg pressed for a 12% increase in time spent on the company’s platforms, according to material presented in court.
He also accused YouTube, owned by Google, of deliberately steering young users toward its main platform rather than YouTube Kids because it could charge advertisers more for access to them.
Lanier described YouTube as positioning itself as a “digital babysitting service” for parents while benefiting commercially from children’s attention.
Platforms push back
Lawyers for Meta and YouTube rejected the claims, arguing the plaintiff’s mental health struggles stemmed from difficult personal and family circumstances rather than platform design.
Meta attorney Paul Schmidt told jurors the central question was whether Instagram was a substantial factor in K.G.M.’s distress.
He pointed to records describing family conflict, abuse and years of therapy, arguing those factors must be weighed in a case focused on psychological harm.
A national test
The case is expected to run for six weeks and could influence similar lawsuits across the United States. Jurors are scheduled to hear from experts, family members of children who died, and former Meta employees who became whistleblowers.
Executives including Zuckerberg, Instagram head Adam Mosseri and YouTube CEO Neal Mohan are also expected to testify.
Legal observers say the verdict could help establish benchmarks for damages and liability in future social media cases involving minors.
Pressure beyond court
The trial coincides with broader legal action by U.S. state prosecutors. Attorneys general from 29 states have asked a federal judge to force Meta to remove accounts belonging to users under 13 and delete data collected from children.
Another group of state prosecutors is seeking restrictions on features such as infinite scroll, autoplay and beauty filters, arguing they contribute to addictive behaviour.
Meta has said it has introduced protections for teen users, but prosecutors argue those measures amount to little more than public relations.
Snapchat owner Snap and TikTok have already settled with K.G.M. and are no longer defendants in the case.
Sources: BBC News, Reuters
