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California Trial Tests Big Tech Liability for Teen Mental Health
A 20-year-old woman alleges Instagram and YouTube addiction caused her depression and suicidal thoughts.
Published on Feb. 9, 2026
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A California state court case will determine whether Meta Platforms and Alphabet's Google can be held liable for harming a woman's mental health through the addictive design of their social media platforms Instagram and YouTube. The 20-year-old plaintiff, identified as K.G.M., alleges the apps fueled her depression and suicidal thoughts at a young age. A verdict against the tech companies could pave the way for similar cases and shake the industry's legal defenses against user harm claims.
Why it matters
This trial is a test case for whether Big Tech platforms can be held accountable for the mental health impacts of their products, especially on young users. A ruling against Meta and Google could open the floodgates for more lawsuits claiming the platforms are harmful by design, shaking the industry's longstanding legal protections.
The details
K.G.M. filed the lawsuit against Meta and Google, alleging the attention-grabbing design of Instagram and YouTube led to her addiction and mental health issues. Her lawyers aim to show the companies were negligent, failed to warn about risks, and that the platforms were a substantial factor in her injuries. Meta and Google plan to defend themselves by pointing to other factors in K.G.M.'s life, highlighting their youth safety efforts, and trying to distance themselves from user-generated content.
- The trial is set to begin with opening statements on February 9, 2026.
- The trial is expected to stretch into March 2026.
The players
K.G.M.
A 20-year-old woman who filed the lawsuit against Meta and Google, alleging their social media platforms Instagram and YouTube caused her depression and suicidal thoughts.
Meta Platforms
The parent company of Instagram, which is a defendant in the lawsuit.
Alphabet Inc.
The parent company of Google, which owns YouTube, another defendant in the lawsuit.
Mark Zuckerberg
The CEO of Meta Platforms, who is expected to be called as a witness in the trial.
What’s next
The judge overseeing the more than 2,300 similar lawsuits filed in federal court is weighing the companies' liability protections ahead of the first trial over the claims, which could happen as early as June 2026.
The takeaway
This trial represents a high-stakes test of whether social media platforms can be held accountable for the mental health impacts of their products, especially on young users. A ruling against Meta and Google could fundamentally change the legal landscape for the tech industry and open the door to more lawsuits claiming platforms are harmful by design.
