Jury selection in a high-stakes social media addiction trial begins in California on Jan. 27, according to court documents.
The trial will put big tech in the hot seat as defendants including Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, ByteDance’s TikTok, and Google’s YouTube are accused of worsening the youth mental health crisis.
The hearing in the Superior Court of Los Angeles County is a test case for thousands of similar lawsuits seeking damages over alleged harms caused by social media.
In this case, a 19-year-old woman from California, identified as K.G.M., alleges that she has been addicted to social media for more than 10 years and that her constant use of the technology has given her depression, anxiety, and body dysmorphia.
Starting on Jan. 27, 75 potential jurors will be called in each morning and afternoon until at least Jan. 29, court documents reviewed by The Epoch Times show.
In related cases filed across the country, plaintiffs are seeking monetary damages and trying to curb how the platforms are used, and they accuse big tech companies of intentionally working to promote addictive use among young people.
“The 29 State [attorneys general] present a unified case: one single presentation of evidence that Meta engaged in nationwide misconduct to design its social media platforms in a manner that harmed the mental and physical health of children across the country, to illegally ensnare under-13 users onto its platforms, and to deceive the public of the true safety risks,” reads a joint letter by the state attorneys general filed with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
The attorneys general accused Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg of rescinding a ban on cosmetic surgery filters that permitted users of all ages to have access to features such as the “nip and tuck” plastic surgery effect filter.
Zuckerberg denied a link between social media and negative mental health outcomes among young people during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.
Google spokesperson José Castaneda previously denied such allegations in the complaints.
“Providing young people with a safer, healthier experience has always been core to our work,” Castaneda told The Epoch Times in an email when a court ruled that a related case could press forward in October 2024.
“In collaboration with youth, mental health and parenting experts, we built services and policies to provide young people with age-appropriate experiences, and parents with robust controls. The allegations in these complaints are simply not true.”
In cases filed against Meta Platforms Inc., Instagram LLC, Snap Inc., TikTok Inc., ByteDance Inc., YouTube LLC, Google LLC, and Alphabet Inc., plaintiffs have alleged the platforms are defective, arguing that the technology is specifically designed to maximize screen time, driving addictive behavior in minors and emotional and physical harm.
Jacob Burg contributed to this report.
