Particle.news
Download on the App Store

TikTok Settles as Bellwether Social Media Addiction Trial Opens Against Meta and YouTube

The Los Angeles bellwether will test whether product design, not user content, can be blamed for youth harms.

Overview

  • TikTok reached a confidential agreement just before jury selection, after Snap settled last week, leaving Meta and YouTube as the remaining defendants.
  • Juror questioning began in Los Angeles County Superior Court, and the trial is expected to last six to eight weeks.
  • The plaintiff, identified as K.G.M., alleges features such as infinite scroll, autoplay, algorithmic recommendations and notifications fostered addiction and worsened depression and suicidal thoughts.
  • Meta and Google dispute causation, point to safety tools and parental controls, and are expected to invoke legal protections including Section 230.
  • Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is expected to testify, and jurors are likely to see excerpts from internal company documents during the proceedings.