A trial began this Monday (9) in a California court that puts two US Big Techs in the dock on charges of having mechanisms that “addict children and teenagers” to social networks.
Meta, responsible for the social network Instagram, and Alphabet, controller of the video platform YouTube, are the targets of the action. Both companies are accused of encouraging the compulsive use of their platforms by young people through “engagement mechanisms that would have worsened mental health problems”, according to the court documents.
According to the American press, the final decision on the case could establish a legal precedent and influence hundreds of similar actions underway in the United States against companies in the sector.
At the center of the case is the young woman identified only by the initials KGM, now 19 years old, who claims to have developed depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts after using social media intensively since childhood. According to the family’s lawyers, the young woman had become addicted to using the platforms – in this case YouTube and Instagram – not because of specific content, but because of the functioning of the networks themselves, which, according to the accusation, would encourage continuous and prolonged use through mechanisms created to keep young people connected for as long as possible.
The indictment claims that the companies adopted engagement techniques on their platforms inspired by behavioral conditioning mechanisms, similar to those used in gambling, with the aim of increasing usage time and increasing advertising revenue.
The accusation attempts to hold Big Techs responsible not for the content of the networks, but for the way they were developed, alleging that the very design of the platforms encourages compulsive use by young people – which would allow them to circumvent legal protections such as the First Amendment and Section 230, which normally shield companies against lawsuits related to content published by users.
High-ranking executives are expected to give testimony throughout the trial, including Meta’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, as well as directors from Instagram and YouTube, as reported by American outlets. The process is expected to last between six and eight weeks.
The companies deny the accusations. In a statement to the American press, Meta stated that it disagrees with the allegations and maintains that it has been investing for years in protection tools for young users, in addition to arguing that mental health problems have multiple causes. Google, YouTube’s controller, also declared that the accusations are “not true” and that offering a safer experience for children and teenagers is a priority for the company.
