US EditionMeta, YouTube design apps to addict kids, jury hears as landmark trial begins
The trial could shape outcomes for about 1,500 similar lawsuits alleging social media addiction harms youth mental health, with Meta and YouTube executives slated to testify.
- 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.
135 Articles
135 Articles
Meta and Google social platforms face trial
A high-profile trial against Meta and Google began in Los Angeles this week, testing claims that the social media platforms are designed to be addictive. The question has plagued regulators for more than a decade, with social media addiction cited in connection with increased anxiety, body image issues, suicidal ideation, and poor mental health in adolescents.Now that Australia has banned social media for individuals younger than 16, it is the l…
A YouTube lawyer argued Tuesday that the video streaming platform owned by internet giant Google is not technically an addictive social network, on the second day of a major US court case against the tech giants.
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Google, Meta, push back on social media addiction claims in landmark trial
LOS ANGELES (AP) — 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. At the core of the Los Angeles case is a 20-year-old identified only by the initials “KGM,” whose case could determine how thousands of similar lawsuits will…
Meta, YouTube on Trial Over Claims They Engineered Child Addiction
Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta and Google’s YouTube are defending themselves in a Los Angeles courtroom against explosive allegations that they deliberately engineered their platforms to addict children, as opening statements began Monday in a closely watched trial that could have sweeping consequences for the tech industry. The case, unfolding in Los Angeles County Superior Court, is one of the most significant legal challenges yet to confront Big Tech…
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