Jury Selection Starts in Landmark Meta and Snap Social Media Addiction Trial
Jury selection begins in Los Angeles for a major trial targeting Meta and Snap over youth social media addiction claims and mental health impacts.
POLICY WIRE — Los Angeles, United States — Jury selection commenced today in a closely watched trial targeting Meta and Snap, initiated by two plaintiffs who argue that the tech giants engineered their platforms to foster compulsive use.
The proceeding represents the latest legal battle in a mounting wave of litigation examining the influence of social media on the mental well-being of young people.
The legal action was initially filed in 2023, with the plaintiffs contending that endless scrolling mechanics, Snapstreaks, and various other application features kept users hooked while damaging their psychological health.
The first plaintiff, a 16-year-old from Illinois designated in court records as S.J., began interacting with Snapchat during early childhood and claims the app induced compulsive engagement alongside depression, sleep deprivation, anxiety, an eating disorder, suicidal thoughts, and self-harm.
The second plaintiff, an 18-year-old from Mississippi named K.D.B., reported that her early and frequent use of Meta properties and Snapchat similarly fueled mental health struggles and self-harm.
Lawyers representing the plaintiffs asserted in the Los Angeles trial court complaint that the defendants defectively designed the platforms to specifically appeal to and addict minors and young adults, who were particularly unable to appreciate the risks posed by the platforms, and particularly susceptible to harms from those products.
Alphabet subsidiary YouTube and TikTok were originally named in the lawsuit but reached settlements prior to the trial, while Meta also settled with S.J., the Illinois plaintiff.
A representative for Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, disputed the claims brought forward by K.D.B.
A young person’s mental health is shaped by many factors, as the evidence in this trial will show, the spokesperson stated via email, noting that the plaintiff utilized TikTok much more heavily than Instagram or Facebook and that personal circumstances played a substantial role in her difficulties.
A spokesperson for Snap, which operates Snapchat, similarly challenged the accusations and defended the company’s operational approach.
The company representative maintained that safeguards, safety tools, and educational resources have been integrated into the platform, expressing confidence that the evidence will demonstrate a commitment to putting the community first while arguing that the allegations misrepresent user experiences and platform architecture.
Corporate defense teams are expected to emphasize alternative factors outside of their applications as the true drivers of the plaintiffs’ mental health challenges.
The plaintiffs are pursuing an unspecified financial award covering both compensatory and punitive damages.
Lead counsel Mark Lanier, founder of The Lanier Law Firm, noted via email that the proceeding marks the inaugural courtroom test against Snapchat and provides the public with its first look into internal corporate documents.
High-profile executives including Instagram head Adam Mosseri, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and Snap CEO Evan Spiegel are anticipated to testify during the trial, which legal teams estimate will extend through mid-December.
Judge Carolyn Kuhl is presiding over the courtroom proceedings, with formal opening statements slated for early November.
Earlier in the week, lawyers for Meta and Snap petitioned the court to divide the lawsuits into two distinct trials, a procedural request that Judge Kuhl has not yet resolved, according to an individual familiar with the matter.
The litigation was chosen as a bellwether test case among numerous parallel complaints lodged against major social media enterprises over recent years.
The outcome could heighten regulatory and public scrutiny on tech platforms amidst widespread societal concern regarding digital consumption habits among adolescents.
Data from a 2024 Pew Research Center study reveals that nearly half of American teenagers aged 13 to 17 report being online almost continuously.
In a separate major verdict earlier in the year, Meta and YouTube were mandated to pay $6 million after a jury held them responsible for supplying products that triggered addictive and harmful behaviors among young users.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
