US EditionMeta, YouTube design apps to addict kids, jury hears as landmark trial begins
The trial could set precedent for over 1,500 similar lawsuits alleging Meta and YouTube engineered addictive features causing youth mental health harm.
- On Feb 8, the Los Angeles County Superior Court opened the trial of Meta and YouTube, with Judge Carolyn B. Kuhl overseeing a case involving a 20-year-old plaintiff expected to last six to eight weeks.
- Plaintiffs argue the companies built features that encourage compulsive use, alleging Meta and YouTube designed addictive infinite scroll, autoplay, algorithmic recommendations, and beauty filters, prioritising growth over youth safety.
- In a crowded courtroom on Feb 9, Mark Lanier presented internal Meta and YouTube documents from 2011 while stacking three wooden children's blocks, saying `They don't only build apps; they build traps`.
- A plaintiffs' victory could lead to billions in damages and help guide around 1,500 similar lawsuits against Meta and YouTube, potentially prompting new liabilities and regulatory scrutiny.
- Other bellwether and federal trials, including a June Oakland case, will follow while Snapchat and TikTok settled before this trial, as executives including YouTube CEO Neal Mohan are expected to testify in coming weeks.
93 Articles
93 Articles
Meta, Google push back on addiction claims in landmark social media trial
Jurors in a landmark social media case that seeks to hold tech companies responsible for harms to children got their first glimpse into what will be a lengthy trial characterized by dueling narratives from the plaintiffs and the two remaining defendants, Meta and YouTube.
ABC FOX Montana
YouTube says it is not social media in landmark addiction trial
A lawyer for YouTube insisted Tuesday that the Google-owned video platform was neither intentionally addictive nor technically social media, as a landmark US trial targeting tech giants entered its second day.
TechXplore
YouTube rejects addiction claims in landmark social media trial
YouTube's legal team insisted Tuesday that the Google-owned video platform was not intentionally addictive or even technically social media, on the second day of a landmark U.S. trial targeting tech giants.
Meta ran thousands of TV ads ahead of teen addiction trial
Instagram owner Meta Platforms Inc. has paid for thousands of television commercials to promote its safety work with teens ahead of a landmark jury trial that will examine whether the company builds products deliberately to get kids addicted to social media.
TikTok, Meta and YouTube Face Landmark Trial Over Alleged Social Media Addiction in Children
A Los Angeles courtroom this week began hearing what lawyers describe as a landmark trial over whether Meta's Instagram and Google's YouTube were deliberately designed to keep children hooked, with internal company documents describing the platforms as 'like a drug' and comparing product features to casino mechanics.TikTok and Snap were originally named in the lawsuit but settled for undisclosed sums before the trial opened. Meta and Google are …
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 47% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
