Meta, TikTok, YouTube head to trial over allegations their technology is addictive
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Jury selection is set to start in a trial over whether Meta, TikTok and YouTube fuel excessive social media use by children in ways that harm their mental health. In:
Jury selection is set to start in a trial over whether Meta, TikTok and YouTube fuel excessive social media use by children in ways that harm their mental health.
At the heart of the case are allegations by a 19-year-old plaintiff, identified only as "KGM," who claims that using social media from a young age caused her to become addicted to the technology, which led her to develop depression and suicidal thoughts.
Legal experts have said the trial could be a bellwether for more than a thousand similar cases brought against social media players in recent years. Depending on the outcome, tech giants could be forced to overhaul their platforms, CBS News Philadelphia reported.
The trial will also serve as a test case to see what damages, if any, may be awarded to plaintiffs, said Clay Calvert, a nonresident senior fellow of technology policy studies at the nonpartisan American Enterprise Institute.
The trial, which kicks off this week in Los Angeles County Superior Court, is the first time major social media companies will argue their case before a jury. The jury selection process is expected to take several days, with 75 potential jurors questioned each day. A fourth company named in the lawsuit, Snapchat parent company Snap, settled the case last week for an undisclosed sum.

Washington — President Trump said early Monday that he is postponing airstrikes on Iran's power plants after "very good and productive conversations" over the last two days about reopening the Strait of Hormuz. However, Iran's foreign ministry denied any such talks. Claire Day contributed to this report. In:












