Woman suing Meta, YouTube over social media addiction takes the stand at trial
#Social media addiction lawsuit #Meta Instagram #Google YouTube #Mental health impact #Children's online safety #Tech regulation #Body dysmorphia #Digital wellbeing
📌 Key Takeaways
- California woman Kaley G.M. testifies about Instagram and YouTube's impact on her mental health
- Lawsuit claims Meta and Google knowingly designed addictive platforms despite understanding potential harms
- Case is part of global backlash against social media companies for alleged harms to children
- Plaintiff must prove companies' platform designs were substantial factor in her mental health issues
- Meta's defense points to plaintiff's history of abuse, YouTube notes she didn't use available safety features
📖 Full Retelling
A California woman identified as Kaley G.M. testified in a Los Angeles courtroom on February 25, 2026, about how using Meta's Instagram and Google's YouTube as a child contributed to her mental health issues, including depression and body dysmorphia, in a landmark lawsuit against the tech giants who allegedly knowingly designed addictive platforms despite understanding potential harms to young users. The woman began using Instagram at age 9 and YouTube at age 6, and her lawyers argue that the companies deliberately created features to hook young children on their services while being aware of the negative mental health consequences. This case represents part of a growing global movement against social media companies for alleged harms to children and teens, with countries like Australia implementing bans on young users' access to these platforms. The trial's initial phase focused on what the companies knew about social media's impact on children and their business strategies targeting younger users. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified that while the company discussed developing products for children, they never actually launched them. For the plaintiff to win, her legal team must demonstrate that the companies' platform designs or operations were a significant factor in causing or worsening her mental health issues.
🏷️ Themes
Social Media Addiction, Mental Health, Corporate Accountability, Youth Protection
📚 Related People & Topics
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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 ...
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try{ var _=i o; . if(!_||_&&typeof _==="object"&&_.expiry Gold prices rebound on tariff jitters; silver, platinum and copper rally Nvidia, Salesforce earnings loom large - what’s moving markets AMD stock surges 14% on Meta AI partnership deal U.S. stock futures drift higher; Nvidia earnings to drive direction (South Africa Philippines Nigeria) Woman suing Meta, YouTube over social media addiction takes the stand at trial By Reuters Stock Markets Published 02/25/2026, 06:09 AM Updated 02/25/2026, 06:24 AM Woman suing Meta, YouTube over social media addiction takes the stand at trial 0 GOOGL -0.19% META 0.32% By Jody Godoy and Steve Gorman LOS ANGELES, Feb 25 - A California woman is set to testify in court on Wednesday about how using Meta Platforms’ Instagram and Google’s YouTube as a child affected her mental health, as her landmark trial in Los Angeles continues. The plaintiff, known as Kaley G.M. in court, began using Instagram at age 9 and YouTube at age 6 and says the platforms contributed to mental health issues, including depression and body dysmorphia. The companies sought to profit by hooking young children on their services despite knowing social media could harm their mental health, her lawyers say. The case is part of a broader global backlash against social media companies over alleged harms to children and teens. Australia has banned young users from the platforms, and other countries are considering similar curbs. The beginning of the trial focused on what the companies knew about how social media affects kids, and their business strategies related to younger users. Now it will zoom in on the woman’s claims of how the services affected her. CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified that the company discussed but never launched products for children. To win the case, her lawyers will have to show that the way the companies designed or operated the platforms was a substantial factor in causing or worsening her mental health issues. Her health records show a history ...
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