Trials begin alleging Meta, TikTok, Snap and YouTube built addictive products

Beginning this week, Meta, Snap, TikTok and YouTube will stand trial in Los Angeles over claims that their platforms are addictive and have harmed young users. Plaintiffs’ lawyers are testing a legal theory that the companies caused personal injury through defective products, arguing features such as infinite scrolling, algorithmic recommendations, notifications and autoplay videos lead to compulsive use.

The lawsuits say the resulting addiction has produced problems including depression, anxiety, eating disorders and self-harm, and the cases have been compared to those against Big Tobacco. The first trial opens with jury selection Tuesday in California Superior Court in Los Angeles County and will begin with a plaintiff identified as K.G.M., who says she created a YouTube account at age 8, joined Instagram at 9, Musical.ly (now TikTok) at 10 and Snapchat at 11; she alleges addiction and subsequent anxiety, depression and body-image issues.

The trial is expected to last about six to eight weeks, and executives including Meta’s chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, are expected to testify. Judges have bundled nine bellwether cases in Los Angeles, and a separate set of federal cases is slated for this summer in Oakland where school districts and states will argue social media is a public nuisance.

The companies say there is no clear scientific link between tech use and addiction and plan to press Section 230 defenses. Snap settled with K.G.M.

Key Topics

Tech, Meta, Los Angeles, Tiktok, Snap, Youtube