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Social Media Giants Face Landmark Trials Over Allegations of Deliberately Harming Children
LOS ANGELES, CA – The world’s leading social media corporations are bracing for a series of pivotal trials this year, with the first set to commence this week in Los Angeles County Superior Court. These cases aim to hold companies accountable for alleged harms inflicted upon child users of their platforms.
Meta, the parent company of Instagram, and Google’s YouTube are at the center of claims asserting that their platforms are deliberately designed to addict and harm children. TikTok and Snap, initially named in the litigation, have reached undisclosed settlements.
“This initial case is just the beginning,” stated Sacha Haworth, executive director of the nonprofit Tech Oversight Project. “Hundreds of parents and school districts are participating in these social media addiction trials, and tragically, new families are coming forward daily to confront Big Tech over its intentionally damaging products.”
Central to the current proceedings is a 19-year-old identified only as “KGM.” Her case, along with two other bellwether plaintiffs, is expected to set a precedent for thousands of similar lawsuits against social media companies. Bellwether trials serve as test cases, allowing both sides to gauge jury reactions to arguments and potential damage awards, explained Clay Calvert, a nonresident senior fellow of technology policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute.
This marks the first instance these companies will argue their defense before a jury, and the outcomes could significantly reshape their business practices and approach to child users.
KGM alleges that her early exposure to social media led to addiction and exacerbated her struggles with depression and suicidal ideation. Crucially, the lawsuit contends that these effects resulted from deliberate design choices made by the companies to maximize youth engagement and, subsequently, profits. A successful argument on this front could potentially circumvent the companies’ First Amendment protections and Section 230, which typically shields tech platforms from liability for third-party content.
The lawsuit explicitly states, “Borrowing heavily from the behavioral and neurobiological techniques used by slot machines and exploited by the cigarette industry, Defendants deliberately embedded in their products an array of design features aimed at maximizing youth engagement to drive advertising revenue.”
Executives, including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, are anticipated to testify during the six-to-eight-week trial. Legal experts have drawn parallels to the “Big Tobacco” trials, which culminated in a 1998 settlement compelling cigarette companies to pay billions in healthcare costs and restrict marketing to minors.
“Plaintiffs are not merely the collateral damage of Defendants’ products,” the lawsuit emphasizes. “They are the direct victims of the intentional product design choices made by each Defendant. They are the intended targets of the harmful features that pushed them into self-destructive feedback loops.”
The tech companies vigorously dispute these claims, highlighting numerous safeguards implemented over the years and asserting their non-liability for content posted by third parties.
In a recent blog post, Meta stated, “Recently, a number of lawsuits have attempted to place the blame for teen mental health struggles squarely on social media companies. But this oversimplifies a serious issue.
Clinicians and researchers find that mental health is a deeply complex and multifaceted issue, and trends regarding teens’ well-being aren’t clear-cut or universal. Narrowing the challenges faced by teens to a single factor ignores the scientific research and the many stressors impacting young people today, like academic pressure, school safety, socio-economic challenges and substance abuse.”
A Meta spokesperson reiterated the company’s strong disagreement with the allegations, expressing confidence that “the evidence will show our longstanding commitment to supporting young people.”
José Castañeda, a Google Spokesperson, dismissed the allegations against YouTube as “simply not true,” asserting that “Providing young people with a safer, healthier experience has always been core to our work.”
Beyond this initial case, a federal bellwether trial representing school districts suing social media platforms is scheduled to begin in June in Oakland, California. Additionally, over 40 state attorneys general have filed lawsuits against Meta, alleging its platforms deliberately addict children and contribute to the youth mental health crisis. TikTok faces similar litigation in more than a dozen states.
Meanwhile, in New Mexico, opening arguments are set to begin Monday in a trial alleging that Meta and its platforms failed to protect young users from sexual exploitation. This follows an undercover online investigation by Attorney General Raúl Torrez, who initially sued Meta and Zuckerberg in late 2023, though Zuckerberg was later dropped from the suit.
Prosecutors claim New Mexico is not targeting Meta for its content, but rather its role in disseminating harmful material through complex algorithms. They cite internal documents allegedly revealing Meta employees’ estimates that approximately 100,000 children are subjected to sexual harassment on the company’s platforms daily.
Meta denies the civil charges, accusing Torrez of selectively presenting documents and making “sensationalist” arguments. The company maintains it has collaborated with parents and law enforcement to implement built-in protections, settings, and tools for social media accounts.