Meta, TikTok, And YouTube Will Be Heading To Trial Over Claims Its Use Led To Addiction And Harm In Children – AfroTech

Three big tech companies are heading to trial this week.

ABC News reports that Meta’s Instagram, ByteDance’s TikTok, and Google’s YouTube are heading to Los Angeles County Superior Court, with jury selection underway this week. The case involves claims that the platforms’ products are harmful and addictive to children.

A 19-year-old referred to as “KGM” is joined by two other plaintiffs, according to ABC News. KGM says she began using social media at an early age, and it has led to depression and suicidal thoughts, which she alleges stem from design choices made by the social media companies as they seek to increase their profits.

“Borrowing heavily from the behavioral and neurobiological techniques used by slot machines and exploited by the cigarette industry, Defendants deliberately embedded in their products an array of design features aimed at maximizing youth engagement to drive advertising revenue,” the lawsuit read, according to ABC News.

Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s CEO, and other executives are expected to appear in court to testify, notes the outlet. If plaintiffs prevail, big tech could become responsible for what is shared on their platforms. That outcome could weaken their ability to rely on the First Amendment and Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act, notes the outlet. Per AP News, Section 230 states that “no provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider.”

In a Jan. 16 blog post, Meta pushed back on claims that it has contributed to the decline of mental health in teens.

“Recently, a number of lawsuits have attempted to place the blame for teen mental health struggles squarely on social media companies,” Meta said in the post. “But this oversimplifies a serious issue. Clinicians and researchers find that mental health is a deeply complex and multifaceted issue, and trends regarding teens’ well-being aren’t clear-cut or universal. Narrowing the challenges faced by teens to a single factor ignores the scientific research and the many stressors impacting young people today, like academic pressure, school safety, socio-economic challenges, and substance abuse.”