Lawyers Make Final Appeals in Landmark Social Media Addiction Trial

Jury to decide if tech giants should be liable for harms to young users

Mar. 12, 2026 at 8:18pm

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After a month-long trial featuring testimony from addiction experts, therapists, platform engineers, and executives like Mark Zuckerberg, lawyers for the plaintiff and defendants Meta and Google-owned YouTube will deliver their closing arguments in a landmark case over social media's impact on a young user's mental health. The 20-year-old plaintiff, known as Kaley, alleges her early social media use led to addiction, depression, and suicidal thoughts, while the tech companies argue her struggles pre-dated her platform use.

Why it matters

This case, along with two others, has been selected as a bellwether trial that could influence thousands of similar lawsuits against social media companies over their potential role in harming young users' mental health. The outcome could set a precedent on whether these platforms can be held liable for addiction and other harms.

The details

The plaintiff, identified as Kaley, says her early social media use led to addiction and exacerbated her depression and suicidal thoughts. Meta and YouTube have argued Kaley faced significant mental health challenges before using their platforms, which she turned to as a coping mechanism. YouTube has also argued it is not a social media platform and its features are not addictive. TikTok and Snap previously settled before the trial began.

  • The trial has been ongoing for about a month.
  • Closing arguments will begin on Thursday, March 12, 2026.

The players

Kaley

The 20-year-old plaintiff who alleges her early social media use led to addiction, depression, and suicidal thoughts.

Meta

The parent company of Facebook, which is one of the defendants in the lawsuit.

Google-owned YouTube

The video-sharing platform, which is also a defendant in the lawsuit.

Mark Zuckerberg

The CEO of Meta, who testified during the trial.

Paul Schmidt

The lawyer representing Meta in the case.

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What they’re saying

“The core question in the case is whether the platforms were a substantial factor in Kayley's mental health struggles.”

— Paul Schmidt, Lawyer for Meta

What’s next

The jury will head to the deliberation room to decide whether social media companies should be liable for harms caused to children using their platforms.

The takeaway

This landmark trial could set a precedent on the responsibility of social media companies for the mental health impacts of their platforms on young users, with implications for thousands of similar lawsuits across the country.