Meta, Google Accused of 'Engineered Addiction' in Landmark US Trial

Landmark social media trial in California court could set legal precedent on whether tech giants deliberately designed platforms to addict children.

Feb. 9, 2026 at 9:07pm

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Meta and Google-owned YouTube were accused Monday of pushing highly addictive apps on children as a landmark social media trial began in earnest in a California court. The blockbuster trial in front of a Los Angeles jury could establish a legal precedent on whether the social media juggernauts deliberately designed their platforms to lead to addiction in children.

Why it matters

This case is being treated as a bellwether proceeding because its outcome could set the tone, and the level of payouts to successful plaintiffs, for a tidal wave of similar litigation across the United States. Social media firms are accused in hundreds of lawsuits of leading young users to become addicted to content and suffer from depression, eating disorders, psychiatric hospitalization and even suicide.

The details

The proceedings are expected to see Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg on the stand next week and Instagram boss Adam Mosseri in the courtroom as early as Wednesday. The trial focuses on allegations that a 20-year-old woman identified as Kaley G.M. suffered severe mental harm because she became addicted to social media as a child. Lawyers for the plaintiffs are borrowing strategies used in the 1990s and 2000s against the tobacco industry, which faced a similar onslaught of lawsuits arguing that companies knowingly sold a harmful product.

  • The landmark trial began on Monday, February 10, 2026.
  • Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg is expected to take the stand next week.
  • Instagram boss Adam Mosseri is expected to appear in court as early as Wednesday.

The players

Meta

A technology conglomerate that owns social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

Google

A multinational technology company that owns the video-sharing platform YouTube.

Kaley G.M.

A 20-year-old woman who is the plaintiff in the landmark trial, alleging she suffered severe mental harm due to social media addiction as a child.

Mark Zuckerberg

The chief executive officer of Meta.

Adam Mosseri

The head of Instagram, a subsidiary of Meta.

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What they’re saying

“This case is about two of the richest corporations in history who have engineered addiction in children's brains.”

— Mark Lanier, Plaintiffs' attorney

“If you took Instagram away and everything else was the same in Kaley's life, would her life be completely different, or would she still be struggling with the same things she is today?”

— Paul Schmidt, Meta attorney

What’s next

The trial before Judge Carolyn Kuhl is expected to continue, with Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg scheduled to take the stand next week and Instagram boss Adam Mosseri appearing as early as Wednesday.

The takeaway

This landmark trial could set a legal precedent on whether social media giants like Meta and Google deliberately designed their platforms to addict children, potentially opening the floodgates for similar lawsuits across the United States and forcing the tech industry to rethink its practices.