Landmark US Trial: Are Social Media Platforms Deliberately Addicting Children?

A first-of-its-kind civil trial is underway in Los Angeles, where a jury will assess corporate responsibility for the mental health of the younger generation. The plaintiff, now a 20-year-old woman, began using YouTube at just 6 years old and soon after created an Instagram account, violating age limits. Her lawyers argue the platforms were mechanically and psychologically designed to maximize screen time, leading their client to develop anxiety disorders and body dysmorphia. This modern legal battle resembles the major lawsuits against tobacco companies in the 1990s, which ended with payouts of hundreds of billions of dollars after proving manufacturers concealed knowledge about nicotine's harm. The trial situation is dynamic. Just before proceedings began, Snap Inc. (owner of Snapchat) and ByteDance (owner of TikTok) opted for confidential settlements with the plaintiff, avoiding public litigation. Meanwhile, Meta and Google consistently reject the allegations. Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, admits social media can generate some health issues but firmly denies they are designed as addictive products. A key moment in the trial will be the testimony of Mark Zuckerberg, who will be questioned about internal moderation mechanisms and the impact of algorithms on children's psyches. 6 years — was the plaintiff's age when she began regularly using YouTube Experts indicate the outcome of this case could trigger an avalanche of similar lawsuits, currently consolidated under multi-district litigation in California. If the court finds the giants guilty, the tech industry may face the necessity of fundamentally changing its business model, which is based on user engagement. Body dysmorphia and depression among youth are becoming central points of the accusation, forcing courts to decide whether algorithms are protected by free speech or are defective products. US law has for decades protected online platforms under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which shields them from liability for user-published content, but current lawsuits focus on the very architecture of the systems. „I rule out that Instagram creates addiction, although I acknowledge it may cause some health problems.” — Adam Mosseri Liberal media emphasize the systemic failure of large corporations in protecting children and the need for strict algorithm regulations. | Conservative commentary more often points to the role of parents and the economic freedom of tech companies from state interference.