On Wednesday, February 18, the CEO of Meta, which owns social networks such as Instagram, testified as a witness in the trial that is taking place these days in California and focuses on the responsibilities of social networks in creating addiction to their use by children and teenagers.
Google, TikTok and Snapchat and includes accusations of harming the mental health of children and adolescents.
The suit is just one of hundreds of lawsuits filed against these companies in which plaintiffs allege the social media platforms designed features like endless scrolling, auto-playing videos, constant notifications and a content recommendation algorithm to keep young users on the app as long as possible, calling the platforms the “digital casinos” and “cigarettes” of our time.
The trial, currently being heard in Los Angeles Superior Court, began in early February. It is the first lawsuit of its kind to reach courtrooms and is being watched closely by the global media, as its outcome will affect thousands of similar lawsuits.
The case of 20-year-old Kali
The plaintiff is a 20-year-old woman (referred to as KGM or Kaley GM) who claims that from a very young age (YouTube from 6, Instagram from 11, etc.) she became addicted to these platforms as a result of which she began to suffer from depression, suicidal thoughts and other serious mental problems.
Also. she began to experience severe anxiety and body dysmorphic disorder, and claims that her use of social media caused and exacerbated these problems.
Of the defendants, only Meta and Google have remained in the trial, as shortly before the start of the trial, TikTok and Snapchat proceeded to an out-of-court settlement with the plaintiff.
It should be noted that there are more than 1,000 similar lawsuits across America, in more than 40 states.
The companies deny the accusations, claiming that the mental health problems experienced by children and teenagers have many factors and not just engagement with social networks.
The case is of global interest because if the companies ultimately lose, it could fundamentally change the way social media platforms are designed and regulated.
On February 11, the CEO of Instagram, Adam Moseri, testified at the trial, who rejected the concept of clinical addiction and compared the use of social networks to constantly watching episodes of a series on Netflix.
In roughly the same line, Zuckerberg also moved, who denied the accusations stating that Meta’s social networks are not designed to be addictive and that the main concern is the protection of underage users.
He also stated that minors under the age of 13 are prohibited from using Instagram, despite the plaintiff’s statements that she started using it when she was 11 years old.
Zuckerberg admitted that it is very difficult, if not impossible, to confirm the true age of those who use social networks.
The trial is closely watched by many parents of teenagers who believe that social networks contributed to their children’s suicide.
Internal documents – fire
Of particular interest is the fact that the plaintiff’s lawyers were able to obtain internal documents proving that the companies knew about the addictive risks of social network design, but ignored them.
According to these documents, Instagram executives were aware that the social network was worsening girls’ body image, which was causing them anxiety and depression.
Regardless of the outcome of the trial, the fact remains that according to the most recent surveys, 95% of teenagers (13-17 years old) use social networks, with 1/3 of them declaring that they use them all the time.
About 20% of teenagers show signs of addiction to social networks.
For teenagers who use the networks more than 3 hours a day there is twice the risk of experiencing depression and other mental problems. Children and teenagers who are addicted to them are 2-3 times more likely to have suicidal thoughts.
Many also experience sleep disorders, reduced self-esteem and concentration problems.
According to other research, children with pre-existing problems become more addicted to social networks. In short there is a strong accumulation of evidence that excessive use of social networks is seriously harming many children and adolescents, especially girls.
As the outcome of this trial will be a compass for similar lawsuits, everyone is anxiously awaiting the final outcome. Perhaps in the near future companies will be forced to plan the use of social networks in a less addictive way, which will have a direct impact not only on young people, but also on adult users.
