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The 20-year-old, who claims that she “spent all day on social media” since she was a child, seeks to hold social media companies responsible for the harm caused to children who use their platforms, in a historic process that could establish jurisprudence on social media addiction.
Numa legal battle against the social media giants, a young American took to the witness stand on Thursday to testify about her experience with platforms throughout the infancy, stating that as a child he was on social media “all day“.
The young girl, now 20 years old, identified in court documents as KGM, claims that her early use of social media made her dependent on technology and worsened the depression and suicidal thoughts.
Meta and YouTube are the two defendants remaining in the process; TikTok and Snapchat already reached an out-of-court agreement.
The case, along with two others, was selected as pilot processwhich means that its outcome may influence the unfolding of thousands of similar lawsuits against social media companies, notes the .
KGM, you Kaleyas his lawyers called him throughout the trial, he started using YouTube at age 6 and Instagram at age 9. He took the witness stand with a pink floral dress and a beige coatand said she was “very nervous” when her lawyer, Mark Lanierasked him how he felt on Thursday morning.
Lanier showed childhood photographs of Kaley and her family, and questioned her about positive memories of your youth. The young woman recalled themed birthday parties, visits to parks, and the constant efforts from mother to make your childhood special.
Even so, Kaley’s relationship with her mother was sometimes difficult. The young woman says that most of the discussions between them revolved around the cell phone use.
Both the defense and the prosecution alluded to a troubled family life. Kaley’s lawyers claim that the young woman was exploration targetas a vulnerable user.
But lawyers representing Meta and Google-owned YouTube argue that Kaley turned to platforms like escape mechanismone way to escape your mental health problems.
When asked about allegations that her mother had assaulted hermistreated and neglected, Kaley responded that “nI wasn’t perfect, but I did what I could“, clarifying that nowadays I would not classify the mother’s past actions as abuse or neglect.
Kaley, who works as personal shopper in a Walmart, he continues to live with his mother in the house where he grew up.
“Adrenaline rush”
As a child, Kaley created multiple accountss, both non-Instagram and non-YouTube for being able to like and comment on your own publications.
He also said that “bought” likes through a platform where I could like other people’s photos and receive a flood of likes in return. “It made me look popular“, he stated.
Kaley was asked specifically about the features which claims to have been deliberately designed to create dependencyincluding notifications.
These notificationsboth on Instagram and YouTube, gave him a “adrenaline rush“, he said. He received them throughout the day and went to the bathroom during classes to see them — something he still does today.
Kaley said that although she currently uses YouTube less frequently, she believes it has been previously platform dependent. “Whenever I tried to impose limits on myself, I couldn’t and I just couldn’t turn it off“, he stated.
Os Instagram filtersnamely those that alter a person’s physical appearance, have also taken on a central role in the process and were a constant presence in Kaley’s use of the platform.
Lanier and his colleagues unfurled a strip of canvas almost ten and a half meters long with photographs that Kaley published on Instagram. According to the young woman, “almost all” of the photographs had a filter applied.
The jury also saw Instagram posts and YouTube videos that Kaley shared as a child and as a teenager. One of the videos, which took advantage of the popular trend at the time share nighttime routinesshowed a young Kaley rolling around , taking a shower, taking off her makeup and returning to her cell phone to go to ‘Insta’.
Another video showed her saying she was “crying with joy” for having surpassed 100 subscribers on YouTube, but quickly turned the conversation to his appearance, apologizing for his “horrible appearance”.
“I’m so fat in this sweater“, says young Kaley in the video.
A Meta argues that Kaley was already facing difficulties before ever using social media.
The company’s lawyer, Paul Schmidt, stated earlier this month that the central question of the process is knowing whether platforms were a determining factor on Kaley’s mental health issues.
In his opening argument, the lawyer spent much of his time analyzing the plaintiff’s clinical recordshighlighting that he experienced difficult circumstances as a child, including emotional abuseproblems with body image and bullying situations.
Kaley stated that she did not have the negative feelings associated with being diagnosed with dysmorphophobia before I started using social media and filters.
When asked about the period of greatest use of Instagram, which on a given day exceeded 4 p.m., says “I felt like I always wanted to be there, and when I wasn’t, I felt like I was going to lose something“, these.
“Every day, I was there all day,” he said.
The platforms contest
The case has aroused great interestboth in groups defending children’s rights, which press for reinforced measures to protect minors, and in the technological world, with notable testimonials from the person responsible for Instagram, Adam Mosseriand the CEO of Meta, Mark Zuckerberg.
During Zuckerberg’s testimony, when asked whether people tend to use yet another feature that creates dependencythe Facebook founder responded: “I don’t really know what to say to that“.
“I don’t think that applies here,” continued Zuckerberg, who said he believes in the “basic assumption” that “if something is valuable, people use it more because it’s useful to them.”
Mosseri also stated not believe that people may develop a clinical dependence on social media platforms.
The proceedings are expected to last several weeks, and the jury’s verdict could condition the outcome of a series of legal actions similar attacks against social media companies. Meta also faces a separate lawsuit in New Mexico.
