"The trial lawsuit against Meta and Google argues that Instagram and YouTube were designed to keep teens engaged at the expense of their mental health, prioritizing user engagement over the devastating human toll of social media addiction. This trial could decide whether social media companies can be sued for how their apps and algorithms are designed, not just for what users post."
"Zuckerberg defended Meta's business practices during his testimony, repeatedly rejecting the notion that Instagram is designed to addict young people. He told jurors that the platform prohibits children under 13, acknowledged challenges related to enforcing age limits, and said that Meta has introduced tools aimed at identifying and removing underage accounts. In one particularly notable exchange, Zuckerberg testified that he reached out to Apple CEO Tim Cook to discuss collaboration on child safety and teen wellbeing."
A landmark civil trial in Los Angeles centers on claims that Meta's Instagram and Google's YouTube were engineered to keep children and teens engaged, contributing to addiction-like behavior and long-term mental health struggles. The plaintiff, a 20-year-old identified as KGM, alleges that algorithmic feeds, autoplay, and other engagement tools drove the harm. Analysts liken the theory to Big Tobacco litigation and jurors will weigh whether design features caused injury. Mark Zuckerberg defended Meta's practices in testimony, denying intentional addiction design, citing under-13 prohibitions, enforcement challenges, and tools to identify and remove underage accounts. The trial could determine whether companies can be sued over app and algorithm design rather than user content.
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