techend
By Sabeeh Zanair :
Instagram chief executive Adam Mosseri appeared in a California courtroom on Wednesday in a high-profile trial that could reshape how social media companies are held accountable for their impact on children.
The case, which also names Google and Meta as defendants, centres on allegations that major technology firms deliberately designed their platforms to exploit psychological vulnerabilities in young users in order to maximise engagement and profits.
Mosseri is the first senior executive from Silicon Valley to testify before the jury, facing claims that Instagram operates like a “digital slot machine” engineered to keep minors scrolling through content for as long as possible. His appearance comes ahead of expected testimony from Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg on February 18 and YouTube CEO Neal Mohan a day later.
At the heart of the lawsuit is the experience of a young woman, identified in court as Kaley GM, who says she developed severe mental health problems after becoming addicted to social media from early childhood. According to court documents, she began using YouTube at the age of six, joined Instagram at 11, and later moved on to other platforms including Snapchat and TikTok.
The plaintiff argues that prolonged exposure to algorithm-driven content led to depression, anxiety and long-term emotional harm.
During opening statements, lawyers representing Google rejected the accusation that YouTube is intentionally addictive. The company’s attorney argued that the platform functions more like traditional entertainment services and does not fit the definition of social media.
In contrast, the legal team for the plaintiff told jurors that major platforms are carefully engineered to manipulate user behaviour. They claimed companies use psychological techniques to stimulate dopamine responses in the brain, particularly among children, creating habitual use patterns similar to substance addiction.
Expert testimony added weight to those arguments. Stanford University psychiatrist Dr Anna Lembke told the court that social media activates reward systems in the brain in a way comparable to drugs. She warned that children and teenagers are especially vulnerable because their brains are still developing and lack strong impulse control.
She described YouTube as a “gateway platform” that introduces children to digital behaviours which can later escalate into broader social media dependence.
The trial is expected to continue until late March and is being closely watched by legal experts and policymakers. More than a thousand similar lawsuits have been filed across the United States, accusing tech companies of contributing to rising levels of depression, eating disorders, self-harm and suicide among young people.
Kaley GM’s case is being treated as a test case, with its outcome likely to influence future litigation nationwide. Additional trials are scheduled later this year in Los Angeles, while a major federal case is also underway in California.
Separately, Meta is facing another lawsuit in New Mexico over claims it failed to protect minors from online exploitation while prioritising revenue growth.
If the courts ultimately rule against the tech giants, the verdict could trigger sweeping changes in how social media platforms are designed, regulated and marketed to young users.
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