The case has been repeatedly compared to early litigation against the tobacco industry, which also tried to minimize liability by downplaying the dangers of its product and offloading risk-assessment to consumers.
The first in a series of landmark lawsuits filed against some of the country’s biggest social media companies has moved to trial.
According to NBC News, opening statements were read earlier this week. Speaking to the court, attorneys for the now-20-year-old plaintiff described how their client’s mental health was devastated by social media addiction that began when she was a child. In the years since, the woman claims to have struggled with feels of anxiety, persistent body dysmorphia, and suicidal thoughts.
Mark Lanier, an attorney for the plaintiff, said that applications like YouTube and Instagram are little more than “digital casinos.” Lanier provided the example of features like Instagram’s “endless scroll,” which can trigger the release of dopamine and, over time, lead to feelings of addiction.
“This case is about two of the richest corporations who have engineered addiction in children’s brains,” Lanier told the court. “The swipe, for a child, like Kaley, this motion is a handle of a slot machine. But every time she swipes, it’s not for money, but for mental stimulation.”
Lanier’s 20-year-old client chose not to release her full name. She is, instead, referred to by name “Kaley” or the acronym “KGM” throughout court documents.
During opening statements, Lanier cited an internal Meta-commissioned study called “Project Myst.” Lannier told the jury that Project Myst uncovered compelling evidence that children who had experienced “adverse effects” from social media use were also the most likely to become addicted to platforms like Instagram. The same study also indicated that parents are, by and large, powerless to stop this form of addiction from progressing.
“The moment Kaley was locked into the machine, her mom was locked out,” Lannier said.
In response, attorneys for the defendants—including Meta and YouTube—argued that external life circumstances likely led to the woman’s mental health struggles.
“Let me get right to the point: Ms. GM, Kaley GM, is not addicted to YouTube,” said Luis Li, a lawyer for the Google-owned company.
Writing on a white poster board to underscore his point, Li said that YouTube’s data indicated that, since 2020, KGM had spent an average of 29 minutes per day on the app, “less than your average network television show.”
“Folks, infinite scroll is not infinite,” Li said. “Her behavior doesn’t seem like she’s addicted, so why are we here?”
Adam Mosseri, the current head of Instagram, was called to testify after opening statements had concluded. Mosseri was not as blunt as Li, and appeared to struggle with questions about how much social media use constituted too much use.
One person could use Instagram “more than you and feel good about it,” Mosseri told the court.
“It’s important to differentiate between clinical addiction and problematic use,” he said. “I’m sure that I’ve been addicted to a Netflix show when I binged it really late one night, but I don’t think it’s the same thing as clinical addiction.”
At the same time, Mosseri said that he was not an expert on addiction, and conceded that the 16 hours KGM once spent on Instagram in a single day was likely indicative of “problematic” use.
Other social media executives, including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, are expected to testify as the trial progresses. The case has been repeatedly compared to early litigation against the tobacco industry, which also tried to minimize liability by downplaying the dangers of its product and offloading risk-assessment to consumers.
“Plaintiffs are not merely the collateral damage of Defendants’ products,” the lawsuit alleges. “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.”
Sources
Instagram boss says 16 hours of daily use is ‘problematic’ not addiction
Landmark trial accusing social media companies of addicting children to their platforms begins
Landmark trial accusing tech giants of harming children with addictive social media begins
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