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A landmark trial opened Monday in Los Angeles that could reshape how courts treat social media design and teen mental health across the United States.
Lawyers for a now 20-year-old woman, identified as Kaley or by her initials K.G.M., argue that Instagram and YouTube intentionally built addictive features that harmed her mental health when she was a minor.
The case marks the first of hundreds of similar lawsuits to reach trial.
In opening statements before Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Carolyn B. Kuhl and an 18-person jury, attorney Mark Lanier accused the companies of engineering platforms to hook children.
“These companies built machines designed to addict the brains of children, and they did it on purpose,” Lanier said.
He described Instagram and YouTube as “digital casinos” and compared the swipe motion on social media to pulling a slot machine handle.
“The swipe, for a child like Kaley, this motion is a handle of a slot machine,” he told jurors. “But every time she swipes, it’s not for money but for mental stimulation.”
Meta and YouTube deny responsibility. Their lawyers argue that Kaley’s mental health struggles stem from family turmoil and other factors, not from platform design.
Lanier told jurors he plans to present internal company documents and emails to support claims that the companies targeted young users and prioritized engagement.
He showed a portion of a 2015 email in which Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg demanded that “time spent increases by 12%” on Meta platforms to meet internal business goals.
Lanier also cited a decade-old Meta strategy document stating that if the company wanted to “win big with teens,” it must “bring them in as tweens.”
He presented a YouTube document suggesting the platform could serve as a short-term digital babysitter while parents cook or clean.
According to Lanier, both companies used specific features to increase engagement among minors:
Lanier also referenced an internal Meta study known as “Project Myst,” which he said found that children who had experienced adverse effects were more likely to become addicted to Instagram.
He argued that parental controls failed to stop the behavior. “The moment Kaley was locked into the machine, her mom was locked out,” he said.
Kaley began using YouTube at age 6 and Instagram at age 9, according to her lawyer. At one point, she allegedly spent six to seven hours a day on YouTube. Lanier told the jury that in March 2022, at age 16, Kaley spent over 16 hours on Instagram in a single day.
Her lawsuit alleges she experienced bullying and sextortion on Instagram.
Sextortion involves threats to share explicit images unless the victim sends money or more photos.
Meta attorney Paul Schmidt told jurors that Instagram was not a substantial factor in Kaley’s psychological distress.
He presented records showing that she faced verbal abuse, family instability and bullying. Therapists began seeing her when she was three years old.
One therapist testified that he did not recall social media being in the “throughline of her main issues.” Another testified that Kaley never reported feeling addicted to Instagram during sessions and that she described the platform as a creative outlet.
Schmidt also highlighted safety features introduced in recent years, including parental controls, “take a break” reminders, content restrictions, an option to opt out of triggering content, and a “sleep mode” that silences notifications.
Meta said in a statement that it “strongly disagree(s) with these allegations” and remains committed to supporting young people.
A YouTube spokesperson called the lawsuit’s claims “simply not true” and said providing young users with a safer experience “has always been core to our work.”
The six-week trial could influence roughly 1,500 similar lawsuits pending across the United States.
Losses could expose the companies to billions of dollars in damages and pressure them to change platform design.
The case also tests how courts treat Section 230 of federal law, which shields companies from liability over user-posted content.
Judge Kuhl instructed jurors not to hold Meta and YouTube liable for allowing or recommending third-party content.
Instead, jurors may consider whether design features such as endlessly scrolling feeds contributed to alleged harms.
Executives, including Mark Zuckerberg, Instagram head Adam Mosseri, and YouTube CEO Neal Mohan, are expected to testify. Former Meta employees who later became whistleblowers may also appear.
Parents who believe social media contributed to their children’s deaths attended Monday’s proceedings.
For them, the trial represents a long-awaited chance to challenge how some of the world’s largest technology companies design products used daily by millions of young people.
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