"Lanier, the plaintiff's lawyer, delivered lively first remarks where he said the case will be as "easy as ABC" - which stands for "addicting the brains of children." He said Meta and Google, "two of the richest corporations in history," have "engineered addiction in children's brains." He presented jurors with a slew of internal emails, documents and studies conducted by Meta and YouTube, as well as YouTube's parent company, Google."
"Comparing social media platforms to casinos and addictive drugs, lawyer Mark Lanier delivered opening statements Monday in a landmark trial in Los Angeles that seeks to hold Instagram owner Meta and Google's YouTube responsible for harms to children who use their products. Instagram's parent company Meta and Google's YouTube face claims that their platforms addict children through deliberate design choices that keep kids glued to their screens. TikTok and Snap, which were originally named in the lawsuit, settled for undisclosed sums."
Opening statements began in Los Angeles in a landmark trial seeking to hold Instagram owner Meta and Google's YouTube responsible for alleged harms to children who use their products. Plaintiffs claim the platforms addict children through deliberate design choices that maximize screen time and exploit vulnerabilities. Plaintiffs introduced internal emails, documents and studies, including a Meta study called "Project Myst" indicating teens facing "adverse events" are especially vulnerable and parental controls had limited impact. TikTok and Snap settled earlier. Meta emphasized scientific disagreement over whether heavy social media use constitutes addiction. YouTube's defense will begin its opening statement next.
Read at Fast Company
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