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Instagram and YouTube accused of hooking kids like “digital drugs” in landmark trial

19:20, February 10

Tech giants Meta and YouTube are facing a groundbreaking lawsuit that claims they addicted an entire generation of children to social media. The case, which began Monday in Los Angeles, could reshape digital law, reports the New York Post.

Plaintiffs allege that Instagram and YouTube didn’t just create apps—they engineered “one-armed bandits” designed to exploit developing brains for profit. At the center of the case is a 19-year-old woman known as “K.G.M.”, who claims the platforms contributed to her depression, body dysmorphia, and suicidal thoughts.

Her lawyer, Mark Layne, told the jury in a two-hour opening statement that proving social media’s responsibility is “as simple as ABC”—here standing for Addicting the Brains of Children.

Layne described the actions of two of the world’s wealthiest corporations as deliberately designing addiction in children, citing internal documents. A Google memo from the early 2010s stated, “The goal isn’t views—it’s viewer addiction.” A 2018 Meta document was even more direct: “To capture teenagers, we need to start engaging them in preteen years.”

The lawsuit argues that the companies built features that play on teenagers’ need for social validation—from endless notifications and likes to algorithms designed to keep young users scrolling for hours. Layne warned jurors that the corporations might try to blame the children and their parents for falling into the trap the companies created.

Both Meta and YouTube have denied wrongdoing, insisting the case is about personal harm, not platform design. Meta claims its internal research was purely preventative, while YouTube maintains that any harm is the result of user interactions rather than the apps themselves.

The trial is expected to last six to eight weeks and will include testimony from company executives. Jurors will ultimately decide whether Instagram and YouTube are responsible not only for user-generated content but also for the design and structure of the platforms themselves.

“All our children are on the line,” said Lori Schott, whose daughter died by suicide after struggling with social media addiction. “These companies knew their methods were harming girls’ mental health—and they didn’t stop.”


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