"It's the first time the companies will argue their case before a jury, and the outcome could have profound effects on their businesses and how they will handle children using their platforms. The selection process is expected to take at least a few days, with 75 potential jurors questioned each day through at least Thursday. A fourth company named in the lawsuit, Snapchat parent company Snap Inc., settled the case last week for an undisclosed sum."
"At the core of the case is a 19-year-old identified only by the initials "KGM," whose case could determine how thousands of other, similar lawsuits against social media companies will play out. She and two other plaintiffs have been selected for bellwether trials - essentially test cases for both sides to see how their arguments play out before a jury and what damages, if any, may be awarded, said Clay Calvert, a nonresident senior fellow of technology policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute."
"KGM claims that her use of social media from an early age addicted her to the technology and exacerbated depression and suicidal thoughts. Importantly, the lawsuit claims that this was done through deliberate design choices made by companies that sought to make their platforms more addictive to children to boost profits. This argument, if successful, could sidestep the companies' First Amendment shield and Section 230, which protects tech companies from liability for material posted on their platforms."
Jury selection begins in Los Angeles County Superior Court for a landmark trial accusing Meta's Instagram, ByteDance's TikTok and Google's YouTube of deliberately addicting and harming children. The selection process will question about 75 potential jurors per day and is expected to take several days; Snap settled separately. A 19-year-old identified as KGM leads a bellwether case among three plaintiffs that could influence thousands of similar lawsuits. KGM alleges early social media use caused addiction, worsened depression and suicidal thoughts. The lawsuit contends companies made deliberate design choices to boost profits by increasing platform addictiveness, potentially sidestepping First Amendment and Section 230 defenses.
Read at Chicago Tribune
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