Washington: Meta Platforms, TikTok and YouTube will face courtroom scrutiny this week over allegations that their platforms are fueling a youth mental health crisis, as the national debate about kids’ screen time enters a new phase. The trial in California Superior Court, Los Angeles County is a test case for thousands of other lawsuits seeking damages for social media harms, in a legal onslaught that could erode Big Tech’s longstanding legal defense.
The plaintiff is a 19-year-old woman from California, identified as K.G.M., who says she became addicted to the companies’ platforms at a young age because of their attention-grabbing design, according to court filings. She alleges the apps fueled her depression and suicidal thoughts and is seeking to hold the companies liable. Jury selection in the case begins on Tuesday. Her lawsuit is the first of several cases expected to go to trial this year that center on what the plaintiffs call “social media addiction” among children. It will be the first time the tech giants must defend themselves at trial over alleged harm caused by their products, the plaintiff’s attorney Matthew Bergman said.
A factor in the case is a federal law that largely exempts platforms such as Instagram and TikTok from legal liability for the material their users post. The tech companies have argued the law shields them in K.G.M.’s case. A verdict against the social media companies would put a crack in that defense, which has protected them from lawsuits for decades. It would show that juries are willing to hold the platforms themselves liable. The issue is likely to reach the Supreme Court, whether through K.G.M.’s case or another, Bergman said. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, is expected to take the witness stand. The company will argue in court that its products did not lead to K.G.M.’s mental health challenges, Meta’s lawyers told Reuters ahead of the trial.
Snap CEO Evan Spiegel was also expected to testify, as his company was named a defendant in the lawsuit. Snap agreed on January 20 to settle K.G.M.’s lawsuit. A company spokesperson declined to comment on the specifics of the deal. YouTube will argue that the company’s platforms are fundamentally different from social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, and should not be lumped together in court, a YouTube executive said ahead of the trial. TikTok declined to comment about the company’s planned arguments in court.
