Social media addiction in court

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Social media addiction on trial - 6th April 2026

A California court has ruled that some social-media platforms are harmful to children. The first case of its kind was brought against YouTube and Meta's platforms. It found that they'd been designed to be addictive, which damaged the mental health of a child.

A 20-year-old woman, who was called Kaley during the trial, brought the case to court. She'd started using YouTube at 6 years old and Instagram at 9 years old.

At 10 years old, Kaley developed depression, and she began to self-harm. Her claim is that these problems were caused by social media. She stated that the apps also damaged her family relationships and school life.

By 13, the situation had worsened. Kaley was constantly worrying about her appearance. She also feared that other people were going to treat her badly.

During the trial, executives from both platforms gave evidence. Former employees who had concerns about the platforms were called for questioning. They'd seen the apps' algorithms at work and raised the alarm. Lawyers also cross-examined experts in both social media and addiction.

Kaley's lawyer argued that the companies had created addiction because they didn't want children to put their phones down. This argument, that the companies deliberately caused addiction, won the case. The court awarded Kaley $6 million in compensation and damages. 70 percent of this is to be paid by Meta, and 30 percent by Google, which owns YouTube.

However, the tech giants are planning to launch an appeal to change the ruling. The outcome will affect another 1,600 legal cases of a similar nature against social media companies. Meanwhile, many governments are introducing laws to protect children and teenagers from the dangers of social media.