OAN Staff Katherine Mosack
5:57 PM – Wednesday, January 28, 2026
In a historic first for the tech industry, Meta and YouTube are appearing before a Los Angeles jury to defend against allegations that their platforms were intentionally engineered to be addictive and harmful to minors.
Jury selection for the landmark trial began Tuesday this week in the California Superior Court of Los Angeles.
The civil case is spearheaded by a 19-year-old Northern California woman, identified in filings as “K.G.M.,” alongside other plaintiffs who argue that features like “infinite scroll” and persistent notifications are designed to foster compulsive use.
The lawsuit alleges these design choices have directly contributed to a youth mental health crisis, resulting in severe depression, anxiety, and other psychological harms. This trial marks the first time social media giants have had to defend their algorithms before a U.S. jury.
The proceedings come at a moment of global reckoning for Big Tech, following Australia’s recent implementation of a nationwide ban on social media for children under 16 — a move that signals growing international momentum toward stricter regulation of platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
“This is the first time families have ever had their right to a day in court,” Matthew Bergman, the Social Media Victims Law Center attorney representing plaintiffs suing the companies, told reporters last week. ”This is a historic point.”
“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 claimed, pointing to features on social media apps like auto-scrolling.
The social media giants, however, have firmly rejected these accusations.
In a statement addressing the trial, a Meta spokesperson countered: “We strongly disagree with these allegations and are confident the evidence will show our longstanding commitment to supporting young people.”
Meta later emphasized that it has implemented “meaningful changes” across its ecosystem — which includes Instagram, Facebook, and Threads — to prioritize safety.
The company highlighted the recent launch of Instagram Teen Accounts, which automatically apply protective settings and require parental oversight for users under 16. As the trial progresses, Meta’s top leadership is expected to face direct questioning, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram head Adam Mosseri both slated to testify.
YouTube has taken a similarly defensive stance, asserting that the allegations are “simply not true.”
A spokesperson for the platform stated that they have spent years developing age-appropriate experiences and robust parental controls, arguing that their service provides vital educational and creative outlets for teenagers rather than the harmful environment described by the plaintiffs.
“Providing young people with a safer, healthier experience has always been core to our work,” said José Castañeda, spokesperson for Google, parent company of YouTube. “In collaboration with youth, mental health and parenting experts, we built services and policies to provide young people with age-appropriate experiences, and parents with robust controls.”
A verdict in favor of K.G.M. could carry massive implications, potentially forcing tech giants to pay significant damages and redesign their platforms to incorporate stricter youth protections. Additionally, a loss for the defense could trigger a wave of settlements across thousands of similar pending lawsuits nationwide.
Superior Court Judge Carolyn Kuhl ruled late last year that these cases could proceed.
Her decision stands in contrast to other judicial rulings that have shielded social media companies from liability by classifying user-generated content as protected speech. By moving forward, Judge Kuhl is allowing the jury to focus on the platforms’ design and addictive functionality rather than the content itself.
While the trial originally featured a broader roster of tech companies, the defense bench has narrowed in recent days.
TikTok reportedly reached a confidential settlement just hours before jury selection began, following a similar move by Snapchat last week. The terms of both agreements remain undisclosed, leaving Meta and YouTube to face the jury alone.
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