Meta, TikTok and YouTube face landmark trial over youth addiction claims

This marks the beginning of a legal onslaught that could erode Big Tech’s longstanding defence.Published On 27 Jan 2026Tech giants Meta, TikTok and YouTube are facing a landmark trial over allegations that their platforms negatively impact mental health among youth, marking the first time the companies will argue their case before a jury.The case kicks off on Tuesday in California Superior Court, Los Angeles County, with the jury selection process expected to take at least a few days, as 75 potential jurors are questioned each day through at least Thursday.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3AI’s growing thirst for water is becoming a public health risklist 2 of 3EU probes Musk’s Grok AI feature over deepfakes of women, minorslist 3 of 3Australia cancels visa of Israeli influencer accused of ‘spreading hatred’end of listThe trial is considered a test case for thousands of other lawsuits seeking damages for social media harms. A fourth company named in the lawsuit, Snapchat parent company Snap Inc., settled the case last week for an undisclosed sum.Executives, including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, are expected to testify at the trial, which will last six to eight weeks.The plaintiff is a 19-year-old woman from California, identified as KGM, who said she became addicted to the companies’ platforms at a young age. Importantly, she claims that this was done through deliberate design choices made by companies that sought to make their platforms more addictive to children to boost profits.She alleges the apps fueled her depression and suicidal thoughts and is seeking to hold the companies liable. Her lawsuit is the first of several cases expected to go to trial this year that centre on what the plaintiffs call “social media addiction” among children.“Borrowing heavily from the behavioral and neurobiological techniques used by slot machines and exploited by the cigarette industry, Defendants deliberately embedded in their products an array of design features aimed at maximizing youth engagement to drive advertising revenue,” the lawsuit says.