Social media companies face trials for alleged addictive design

"Meta, Snap, TikTok and YouTube will face accusers in a series of lawsuits alleging that they intentionally design their platforms to be addictive. The trials begin in Los Angeles Superior Court Tuesday, filed by a group of parents, teens and school districts. Once teens are addicted to the platforms, plaintiffs allege, they suffer from depression, self-harm, eating disorders and more. There are about 1,600 plaintiffs involving 350 families and 250 school districts."

"The first case involves a 19-year-old identified as KGM and her mother, Karen Glenn. They are suing TikTok, Meta and YouTube because they say the companies created addictive features that damaged her mental health and led to self-harm and suicidal ideation. Snap was also a defendant in the case, but it settled the case last week. Her case's outcome could help determine the outcomes of more than 1,000 injury cases against the companies."

Meta, Snap, TikTok and YouTube face thousands of lawsuits alleging intentional platform designs that foster addiction and cause teen depression, self-harm, eating disorders and other harms. About 1,600 plaintiffs include roughly 350 families and 250 school districts. The lead case involves a 19-year-old identified as KGM and her mother, who say addictive features on TikTok, Meta and YouTube damaged the teen's mental health; Snap settled that particular suit. Plaintiffs seek financial damages and injunctions to change platform design and establish industry-wide safety standards. The cases are coordinated in California, and company executives and online-harm experts are expected to testify.

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