A series of landmark trials beginning this week in the United States will test whether major social media platforms can be held legally liable for psychological harm to children and teenagers.
The cases target Meta, TikTok, Snap and YouTube, with plaintiffs arguing that their products were deliberately designed to be addictive, causing anxiety, depression, eating disorders and self-harm among young users.
The first trial, starting with jury selection in Los Angeles, centres on a now 20-year-old Californian who says she became addicted to multiple platforms as a child. Lawyers plan to focus on features such as infinite scroll, auto-play and algorithmic recommendations, rather than user-generated content.
The lawsuits pose a significant threat to the companies, potentially opening the door to large damages and design changes. Executives including Mark Zuckerberg and Neal Mohan are expected to face scrutiny over internal documents warning of possible harm to young users.
The companies deny that social media is addictive and are expected to rely on US legal protections that shield platforms from liability. Plaintiffs counter that the cases concern product design, not speech.
With legislative efforts stalled in the US, the trials mark the most serious attempt yet to hold social media companies accountable for child safety, with implications likely to extend well beyond the courtroom.
Source: The New York Times