Social media ‘addicts children’s brains’, plaintiffs argue in landmark US trial

Comparing social media platforms to casinos and addictive drugs , a lawyer representing young users on Monday accused major technology companies of deliberately designing their products to addict children , as a landmark trial against Meta and Google got underway in Los Angeles.

Delivering opening statements, plaintiff’s lawyer Mark Lanier alleged that Instagram-owner Meta and Google’s YouTube engineered their platforms to exploit how children’s brains develop , using features that trigger neurological reward systems linked to attention, pleasure and social validation . Such mechanisms, he said, reinforce compulsive behaviour among minors, whose brains are still developing and are particularly vulnerable to addiction .

Lanier argued that features such as infinite scrolling , algorithm-driven recommendations and “like” buttons stimulate dopamine responses, encouraging prolonged use and making it difficult for children to disengage. He told jurors the case was “as easy as ABC”, standing for “addicting the brains of children.”

Meta and YouTube are the remaining defendants in the lawsuit. TikTok and Snap were originally named but later settled for undisclosed amounts . The case centres on a 20-year-old plaintiff , identified only as “KGM” , whose experience forms part of a bellwether trial that could shape thousands of similar lawsuits nationwide.

According to Lanier, internal company documents and studies show that Meta and Google were aware that children facing trauma or stress were more susceptible to compulsive social media use, yet failed to implement meaningful safeguards. He cited Meta’s internal ‘Project Myst’ study, which surveyed 1,000 teens and their parents about their social media use, and internal communications in which employees compared Instagram to ‘a drug’ and likened some Google products to casinos.

KGM, who began using YouTube at the age of six and Instagram at nine , alleges that excessive use of these platforms during childhood had a detrimental impact on her mental health . Lanier said the companies targeted young users despite publicly claiming to prioritise child safety .

Pushing back, Meta’s lawyer Paul Schmidt argued that social media was not a substantial factor in KGM’s mental health struggles. He pointed to medical records citing difficult family circumstances, bullying and emotional distress unrelated to platform use. Schmidt also said there is scientific disagreement over whether social media addiction exists as a distinct condition.

The trial, expected to last six to eight weeks , is part of a broader legal reckoning for the tech industry, drawing comparisons to Big Tobacco litigation , with multiple lawsuits accusing social media firms of contributing to the youth mental health crisis .