Two of the world's biggest tech companies face a landmark trial in the United States starting this week over claims that their platforms deliberately addict and harm children.
The lawsuit was mounted by a 19-year-old identified only by the initials “KGM," who claims her use of Meta's Instagram, ByteDance's TikTok, and Google's YouTube at an early age led to exacerbated depression and suicidal thoughts.
TikTok reportedly settled the case with KGM hours before jury selection was supposed to start, according to US media reports. The value of the settlement was not disclosed.
KGM claims in the suit that the companies made deliberate design choices similar to techniques used at casinos to make their platforms more addictive to children in order to boost profits.
This argument, if successful, could sidestep American laws that protect tech companies from liability for material posted on their platforms.
“Plaintiffs are not merely the collateral damage of defendants’ products,” the lawsuit says. “They are the direct victims of the intentional product design choices made by each defendant... that pushed them into self-destructive feedback loops.”
KGM's case could determine how thousands of other, similar lawsuits against social media companies will play out before a jury and to see what damages, if any, may be awarded, according to Clay Calvert, a nonresident senior fellow of technology policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute.
Meta's CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other executives are expected to testify at the trial, which could last up to eight weeks.
Meta, YouTube and TikTok did not immediately respond to the Associated Press' requests for comment. A fourth company named in the lawsuit, Snapchat parent company Snap Inc., settled the case last week for an undisclosed sum.
In a blog post, Meta wrote that blaming teen mental health struggles on social media platforms "oversimplifies a serious issue".
"Narrowing the challenges faced by teens to a single factor ignores the scientific research and the many stressors impacting young people today, like academic pressure, school safety, socio-economic challenges and substance abuse," the blog post reads.
The KGM case is the first of many this year, with a case coming from school districts in California that have sued social media platforms over harms to children, and over 40 state suits filed against Meta. TikTok is facing similar lawsuits in more than a dozen states, according to AP.
In Europe, families in Italy and France have filed class action lawsuits against Meta and TikTok for harming their children.
The Italian case will have its first hearing on February 12, according to law firm Ambrosio e Commodo, which is representing the families.
