Social Media Addiction on Trial

Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, and Google, the owner of YouTube, are facing a landmark trial in California over the addictiveness of social media platforms, the first in a series of novel lawsuits challenging the tech companies over product design rather than content.

The case centers on a woman from Los Angeles, who is accusing social media companies of getting her hooked on various platforms as a child, leading to mental health issues. She is identified as “KGM” in the court documents, and her case is part of a consolidated group of thousands of cases lumped together into one proceeding.