Plaintiff in landmark social media trial testifies that apps affected her 'self-worth'
#social media trial #mental health #addiction #self-worth #Instagram #YouTube #tech liability #youth protection
📌 Key Takeaways
- K.G.M. testified that social media use severely impacted her self-worth during childhood
- The case is the first of over 1,600 lawsuits against major social media platforms
- K.G.M. developed body dysmorphia after exposure to social media filters
- Tech companies deny their platforms are purposefully addictive for young users
📖 Full Retelling
K.G.M., a 20-year-old plaintiff, testified in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Thursday, February 26, 2026, about how social media platforms' addictive designs harmed her mental health during childhood, in the first landmark trial against major tech companies including Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Snap. Now 20, K.G.M. detailed how her almost nonstop use of social media "really affected my self-worth," causing her to abandon hobbies, lose interest in making friends, and withdraw from her family. "They made me give up a lot of hobbies and old interests, and they prevented me from making friends... caused me to compare myself to other people," she told jurors, describing the constant fear of missing out that kept her glued to her devices. K.G.M. created her Instagram account at age 9 before the platform required birthday verification and admitted to lying about her age to create a YouTube account without reading the terms of service. The young woman described experiencing panic when separated from her phone, saying "without it, I felt like a huge part of me was missing" and that she would sneak away to check notifications or stay up late scrolling through content.
🏷️ Themes
Social media addiction, Mental health impact, Legal responsibility, Youth protection
📚 Related People & Topics
Social media platform owned by Meta
Instagram is an American photo and short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters, be organized by hashtags, and be associated with a location via geographical tagging. Posts can be shared publicly or with p...
YouTube
Video-sharing platform
YouTube is an American online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Chad Hurley, Jawed Karim, and Steve Chen, who were former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in San Bruno, California, it is the second-most-visited website in the world, after Google ...
Entity Intersection Graph
Connections for Instagram:
View full profileOriginal Source
Plaintiff in landmark social media trial testifies that apps affected her 'self-worth' "K.G.M.,” now 20, is the first person to take big tech companies to trial over claims that social media platforms’ addictive designs harmed mental health. Add NBC News to Google Plaintiff begins testimony in social media addiction trial 03:39 Get more news on Share Add NBC News to Google Feb. 26, 2026, 7:49 PM EST By Shanshan Dong and Angela Yang Listen to this article with a free account 00:00 00:00 LOS ANGELES — In a highly-anticipated testimony Thursday, the plaintiff in a landmark social media addiction trial said using apps like Instagram and YouTube when she was a child fueled her depression and anxiety, leading her to withdraw from her family. Now 20 years old, the plaintiff — identified in court documents by her initials, K.G.M. — detailed how her almost nonstop use of social media “really affected my self-worth.” “They made me give up a lot of hobbies and old interests, and they prevented me from making friends ... caused me to compare myself to other people,” she told jurors in Los Angeles County Superior Court. “I just felt like I wanted to be on it all the time,” she said. “If I wasn’t on it, I was going to miss out on something.” K.G.M.’s trial is the first in a consolidated group of cases brought against Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Snap by more than 1,600 plaintiffs, including over 350 families and over 250 school districts. The plaintiffs accuse the tech companies of knowingly designing addictive products harmful to young users’ mental health. Historically, social media platforms have largely been shielded by Section 230, a provision added to the Communications Act of 1934 that says internet companies aren’t liable for the content users post. TikTok and Snap reached settlements with K.G.M. before the trial, but they remain defendants in a series of similar lawsuits expected to go to trial this year. K.G.M.’s bellwether case could set a legal precedent for whether...
Read full article at source