Plaintiff Testifies in Landmark Social Media Addiction Trial Against Meta and Google

A 20-year-old woman, identified as K.G.M. or Kaley, testified in a Los Angeles court on Thursday, alleging that her early use of Instagram and YouTube led to addiction and subsequent mental health issues. Kaley stated that she began using YouTube at age six and Instagram at nine, spending extensive hours on these platforms daily, which she claims resulted in anxiety, depression, and body dysmorphia.

Kaley described her routine, noting that checking Instagram was "the first thing" she did upon waking and continued "all day" until bedtime. She also mentioned that YouTube's autoplay feature kept her engaged for prolonged periods.

The lawsuit accuses Meta and Google of designing their platforms to be addictive, thereby harming young users' mental health. Meta's legal team contends that Kaley's mental health struggles stemmed from family issues rather than platform usage.

This case is among several similar lawsuits filed across the United States, with outcomes potentially influencing future litigation against social media companies.