Social Media Firms Face Child Harm Trial in Los Angeles
The case centers on accusations that the firms deliberately engineered their platforms to be addictive and damaging to minors, according to legal documents.
The case was filed by a 19-year-old California woman known in court records as K.G.M. She contends that she developed a compulsive reliance on the platforms while still very young because of their highly engaging features. She claims this dependency fueled depression and suicidal ideation and is asking the court to hold the companies legally responsible. Jury selection is scheduled to start Tuesday.
This lawsuit is the first among a wave of similar cases anticipated to reach trial this year, all centered on what plaintiffs call “social media addiction” in children. According to the plaintiff’s attorney, Matthew Bergman, it represents the first instance in which major technology firms must formally defend themselves in court against allegations that their products directly caused harm.
Meta’s chief executive Mark Zuckerberg is reportedly expected to testify during the proceedings. The company intends to maintain that its platforms were not the cause of K.G.M.’s mental health struggles, Meta’s legal team told a news outlet.
At the heart of the dispute is a federal statute that generally protects platforms like Instagram and TikTok from liability related to user-generated content.
The companies argue that this protection applies in K.G.M.’s case. Bergman has said that an adverse verdict could undermine that long-standing legal shield, suggesting juries may begin to hold platforms themselves accountable and potentially setting the stage for Supreme Court involvement.
Snap CEO Evan Spiegel had previously been expected to appear as a witness after Snap, Snapchat’s parent company, was included as a defendant.
However, Snap agreed last week to settle the lawsuit. Meanwhile, YouTube plans to argue that its services are fundamentally different from Instagram and TikTok and therefore should not be judged by the same legal standards, according to a YouTube executive.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the
information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept
any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images,
videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information
contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright
issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
