20-year-old plaintiff testifies she became addicted to social media as early as 6 in landmark trial

"I would just get really upset and sad and feel like I wasn't worthy I guess. The lack of online engagement made her feel insecure, and made her feel like she looked ugly, and affected her self-worth. When asked why she continued using YouTube despite negative experiences, including bullying, she responded: because being off of it bothered me more than the comments."

"Without [her phone] I felt like a huge part of me was missing. Without it, I couldn't see who was liking my stuff. She also testified that she would scream and cry, throw a tantrum if her mother tried to take away her phone, demonstrating the severity of her dependence on social media platforms."

"Records presented in court showed that at one point, KGM spent 16 hours on Instagram in a single day. Earlier in the week, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg admitted it is difficult for Meta to enforce age restrictions on Instagram, highlighting the platform's design challenges regarding youth protection."

A landmark trial in Los Angeles features a 20-year-old woman, identified as KGM, as the key plaintiff accusing major tech companies of intentionally designing addictive social media platforms for children and teens. KGM testified that her social media use beginning at age 6 led to years of anxiety, depression, and body dysmorphia. She described emotional distress from lacking likes, comments, and subscribers on platforms like YouTube and Instagram, which affected her self-worth and body image. Despite negative experiences including bullying, she continued using the apps because stopping caused her greater distress. Court records showed she spent 16 hours on Instagram in a single day and experienced severe withdrawal symptoms when separated from her phone. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg acknowledged difficulty enforcing age restrictions on Instagram.

Read at ABC7 Los Angeles