Landmark Trial: Meta, Google Accused of Addicting Children to Platforms

• A landmark trial has begun in Los Angeles, accusing Meta (Instagram) and Google (YouTube) of deliberately addicting children to their social media platforms.
• Plaintiffs argue the companies engineered addiction in children's brains, presenting internal documents likening YouTube to a casino and Instagram to a drug.
• The case centers on a 20-year-old identified as KGM, whose experience could influence thousands of similar lawsuits against social media giants.
• Meta's defense disputes deliberate harm, citing KGM's pre-existing mental health issues and scientific disagreement on social media addiction.
• The trial, expected to last 6-8 weeks, could profoundly impact how social media companies operate and handle child users, drawing comparisons to Big Tobacco trials.