Meta and YouTube Accused of Deliberately Getting Kids Addicted in Latest Trial

Meta and YouTube are sued in the case of addictive apps (photo: dok. unsplash)

JAKARTA - The design of the Meta and YouTube platforms was finally discussed in a trial held in California on Monday, February 9. Both platforms are accused of deliberately making children addicted.

Meta and YouTube are being sued by a 20-year-old woman called Kaley GM. Kaley stated that the two technology giants deliberately designed their platforms to be addictive applications.

This was confirmed by the plaintiff's lawyer, Mark Lanier. Lanier told the jury that Kaley was addicted to social media from a young age because of the design of the application. Internal company documents are also claimed to support their allegations.

"These companies are building machines designed to get kids' brains addicted, and they're doing it on purpose," Lanier said during the trial, Reuters reported on Tuesday, February 10.

On the other hand, Meta lawyer Paul Schmidt, highlighted the plaintiff's medical history. Kaley is known to have depression so Schmidt questioned whether the plaintiff's life would really be different if the Instagram app was removed from his daily life.

YouTube is scheduled to present its defense at the next hearing. Both tech companies continue to deny accusations that they are intentionally damaging the mental health of teen and child users.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is expected to testify in person at the trial, which runs through March. Meanwhile, other platforms such as TikTok and Snap have reached a settlement with plaintiffs before the trial begins.

The outcome of this trial will determine whether Meta and YouTube must pay compensation for the pain and suffering experienced by users. To avoid a hefty fine, both companies must prove their innocence.