Los Angeles, USA – Instagram chief Adam Mosseri is set to testify Wednesday in a California courtroom as part of a blockbuster civil trial that could establish a legal precedent on whether social media platforms are deliberately designed to be addictive to children.
The Case
The trial pits Meta (parent company of Instagram and Facebook) and YouTube against claims that their platforms engineered addictive features targeting young, vulnerable users. The case centers on allegations that Kaley G.M., a 20-year-old woman, suffered severe mental harm after becoming addicted to social media as a child.
Kaley began using YouTube at age six, joined Instagram at 11, and later moved on to Snapchat and TikTok. Lawyers argue that these platforms exploited developing brains to maximize engagement and profits.
Opening Arguments
Plaintiffs’ attorney Mark Lanier told jurors:
“This case is about two of the richest corporations in history who have engineered addiction in children’s brains. They don’t only build apps; they build traps.”
By contrast, YouTube’s lawyer Luis Li rejected the characterization, insisting that YouTube is not technically social media and does not intentionally foster addiction.
“It’s not social media addiction when it’s not social media and it’s not addiction,” Li said, comparing YouTube to Netflix or traditional TV.
Expert Testimony
The plaintiffs’ first witness, Dr. Anna Lembke, a Stanford University professor and author of Dopamine Nation, testified that social media functions like a drug.
She explained that the brain’s ability to regulate impulses is not fully developed until around age 25, making teenagers particularly vulnerable.
“Typically, the gateway drug is the most easily accessible drug,” Lembke said, describing Kaley’s first use of YouTube at age six.
Wider Implications
The case is being treated as a bellwether trial, with its outcome likely to influence hundreds of similar lawsuits across the United States. Social media companies face mounting claims that their platforms contribute to depression, eating disorders, psychiatric hospitalizations, and even suicide among young users.
Lawyers for the plaintiffs are drawing parallels to the tobacco industry lawsuits of the 1990s and 2000s, which argued that companies knowingly sold harmful products while downplaying risks.
Conclusion
As Mosseri prepares to testify, the trial highlights growing scrutiny of social media’s impact on youth. With billions of users worldwide and mounting evidence of harm, the proceedings could reshape how platforms are regulated and how accountability is assigned in the digital age.
