Trial Begins: Did Meta & YouTube Design Apps to Addict Kids?

A groundbreaking trial in California is putting Big Tech’s design practices on trial, as a young woman sues Meta Platforms and Google’s YouTube, accusing them of deliberately designing their products to addict children.

The plaintiff, identified as Kaley G.M., alleges through her lawyer that internal company documents show the platforms were built as “machines designed to addict the brains of children, and they did it on purpose,” leading to her addiction from a young age.

In defense, Meta’s attorney pointed to Kaley’s personal history, including family trauma and abuse, questioning whether removing Instagram alone would have altered her life’s outcome, while both companies have denied the allegations.

The outcome of this case is being closely watched, as a verdict against the tech giants could pave the way for thousands of similar lawsuits challenging the industry’s longstanding legal defenses and fundamentally reshape accountability for social media’s impact on user well-being.