A landmark trial opened Monday in California, accusing Meta and YouTube of building digital systems that harm children’s mental health. The case centers on claims that Meta and YouTube created ‘addiction machines’ designed to keep children engaged for profit, despite known risks.
The lawsuit, heard in Los Angeles Superior Court, was brought by a plaintiff identified as K.G.M., also known as Kaley G.M. She is referred to by her initials because the alleged harm occurred when she was a minor. Her attorney, Mark Lanier, told jurors the companies deliberately engineered features that exploit developing brains and failed to warn families about the dangers.
Lanier said internal company goals focused on increasing time spent on platforms. He highlighted a 2015 internal email in which Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg pushed for a significant rise in user engagement to meet business targets. Lanier argued that such goals drove design choices that intensified compulsive use among children.
Claims that Meta and YouTube built ‘addiction machines’ for children
Lanier also accused YouTube, owned by Google, of targeting young users because advertising on its main platform generates higher revenue than on YouTube Kids. He said the company benefited from parents seeking a digital distraction for their children, rather than prioritizing safety.
A landmark trial in California puts Meta and YouTube under scrutiny, with claims their platforms were designed to keep children hooked and harm mental health.#Meta #YouTube #SocialMedia #ChildSafety #TechAccountability #MentalHealth #DigitalWellbeing #BigTech pic.twitter.com/WVw1ecRX3L
— Tom Marvolo Riddle (@tom_riddle2025) February 10, 2026
To emphasize his point, Lanier used children’s blocks during his opening statement to illustrate how platform design can affect children’s developing brains.
He told jurors the case involves two of the wealthiest companies in history and promised to present internal documents and executive communications to support the claims.
Attorneys for Meta and YouTube rejected the accusations. Meta lawyer Paul Schmidt told jurors the central question is whether Instagram played a meaningful role in K.G.M.’s mental health struggles. He argued that her difficulties stemmed from severe family instability, not social media use.
Defense focuses on family trauma and mental health history
Schmidt described a childhood marked by neglect, abuse and parental bullying. He cited records showing domestic violence in the home and therapy beginning at age three.
He also presented statements from K.G.M. describing verbal abuse by her mother and suicidal thoughts. Schmidt said those experiences must be weighed carefully in a case focused on psychological harm.
The trial is expected to last six weeks and could influence similar lawsuits nationwide. Jurors are scheduled to hear from expert witnesses, families of children who died, and senior executives, including Zuckerberg, Instagram head Adam Mosseri and YouTube chief executive Neal Mohan. Former Meta employees who became whistleblowers are also expected to testify.
The outcome could shape future damage awards and affect thousands of cases filed by families, school districts and state prosecutors. In a related action, attorneys general from 29 states have asked a federal judge to force Meta to remove underage accounts, delete data collected from children under 13, dismantle related algorithms and artificial intelligence tools, and curb features they describe as addictive.
Meta says it has added protections for teen accounts, but state attorneys argue those steps offer little real safety. Snap and TikTok have already settled with K.G.M. and are no longer defendants.
