2 hours ago
Last Updated:February 10, 2026, 11:28 IST
Meta and YouTube face a California trial over allegedly addictive apps for kids.
Meta, YouTube accused of pushing highly addictive apps on children (Representative image)
Meta and Google-owned YouTube were accused Monday of pushing highly addictive apps on children in a landmark trial that began in earnest in a California court.
The blockbuster trial in front of a Los Angeles jury could establish a legal precedent on whether the social media juggernauts deliberately designed their platforms to lead to addiction in children, AFP reported.
Meta Chief Mark Zuckerberg is likely to be on the stand next week, and Instagram boss Adam Mosseri is expected to be present in the courtroom as the proceedings go on.
In addition to Instagram, Meta’s platforms also include Facebook and WhatsApp.
“This case is about two of the richest corporations in history who have engineered addiction in children’s brains," plaintiffs’ attorney Mark Lanier told the jury in his opening statement, as reported by the outlet.
Describing the case as easy as “A-B-C", Lanier argued that A was for addicting, the B for brains, and the C for children.
“They don’t only build apps; they build traps," Lanier said, adding Meta and YouTube pursued “addiction by design".
Meta attorney Paul Schmidt countered the arguments in his opening statement to the jury, stating evidence will show problems with the plaintiff’s family and real-world bullying affected her self-esteem, body image, and happiness.
“If you took Instagram away and everything else was the same in Kaley’s life, would her life be completely different, or would she still be struggling with the same things she is today?" Schmidt asked.
He further pointed out that Instagram was never mentioned in the medical records included in the evidence.
About The Case
The trial before Judge Carolyn Kuhl stems from allegations that a 20-year-old woman, identified as Kaley G.M., suffered severe mental harm because of her addiction to social media since childhood, AFP reports.
The case is being treated as a bellwether proceeding, as its outcomes are likely to set the tone and the level of payouts to successful plaintiffs for similar cases across the United States.
Pertinent to note that social media firms have been named in multiple lawsuits of leading young users to become addicted to the internet and suffer from mental illnesses, including depression, anxiety, and in some cases, suicide.
Began Watching YouTube At 6
Lanier revealed before the court that Kaley began consuming YouTube at six years old, because the company never warned her mother that the “goal was viewer addiction".
“This is the first time that a social media company has ever had to face a jury for harming kids," Social Media Victims Law Centre founder Matthew Bergman, whose team is involved in more than 1,000 such cases, told AFP.
‘Allegations Simply Not True’
Representatives from the companies came out to defend themselves, pointing out to the recent efforts made to tackle the situation.
Jose Castaneda, a YouTube spokesperson, stated, “The allegations in these complaints are simply not true", as quoted by AFP.
Meanwhile, the plaintiffs have said that they would call expert witnesses who will argue that young people’s brains are not yet developed to withstand the powers of the algorithms they encounter on YouTube and Instagram.
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Location :
California, USA
First Published:
February 10, 2026, 11:28 IST
News world 'They Build Traps': Instagram, YouTube Accused Of Pushing Highly Addictive Apps On Kids In US Court
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