"Lawyers for a now-20-year-old woman argued that addictive features harmed her mental health as opening statements began Monday in a landmark trial against Meta and YouTube, the first of hundreds of similar cases to go to trial. The plaintiff identified by her first name, Kaley, or her initials, KGM and her mother accused the tech companies of intentionally creating addictive platforms that caused her to develop anxiety, body dysmorphia and suicidal thoughts."
"Speaking on Monday in front of a jury in state court in Los Angeles, Kaley's lawyer Mark Lanier called social media apps like YouTube and Instagram digital casinos, saying the app's endless scroll feature creates dopamine hits that can lead to addiction. This case is about two of the richest corporations who have engineered addiction in children's brains, Lanier said in his opening statement."
A 20-year-old plaintiff and her mother allege Meta and YouTube intentionally designed addictive platform features that led to anxiety, body dysmorphia and suicidal thoughts. Defense lawyers intend to argue that family circumstances, not social media, caused her mental health issues. Plaintiff's counsel compared endless scrolling to a slot machine handle that delivers dopamine hits and fosters addiction. Executives from major platforms are expected to testify. The outcome could affect roughly 1,500 related lawsuits, potentially resulting in billions in damages and platform changes. Snap and TikTok settled this case pretrial but remain defendants in other matters. Tech firms maintain they have safety features and deny causing harm.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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