20-Year-Old Plaintiff Testifies in Landmark Social Media Addiction Trial Against Tech Giants
A 20-year-old plaintiff, identified as "Kaley," is testifying in a landmark social media addiction trial in Los Angeles Superior Court. The lawsuit alleges that major social media companies, including Meta (parent company of Facebook and Instagram) and Google (owner of YouTube), intentionally designed their platforms to be addictive. Kaley claims she became addicted to social media apps starting at age 6, leading to anxiety, depression, and body image issues. She testified that she began using YouTube at 6, initially without an account, and created an account at 8 by selecting a "random age" to bypass age restrictions. Her testimony detailed how features like auto-scrolling and autoplay kept her engaged for hours, and the fear of missing out led her to constantly check notifications, even at school. Her therapist, Victoria Burke, also testified, with defense lawyers arguing that Burke never diagnosed social media addiction and that Kaley had pre-existing mental health issues.
