A hearing is set to commence this Monday in a Los Angeles court regarding a lawsuit alleging that the social media platform Instagram* and video host YouTube caused mental anguish to a woman. The prosecution claims that the addictive design of these applications led to this harm, as reported by Reuters on February 9th.
The 20-year-old woman, identified in court documents as KGM, has filed suit against Meta Platforms*, the parent company of Facebook* and Instagram, as well as against Alphabet. She asserts that the appealing design of these platforms fostered an addiction in her from a young age, which subsequently aggravated her depression and induced suicidal ideation. Naturally, she seeks to hold these corporations accountable.
The woman’s legal team intends to establish negligence on the part of the companies in their application development, arguing they failed to warn the public about intrinsic risks, and that these platforms significantly contributed to her suffering. Should they succeed, the jury will deliberate on awarding her damages for pain and emotional distress, and could also impose punitive fines.
Meta and Google plan to counter these claims by pointing to other influences in KGM’s life, seeking to draw a line between their platforms and users who upload detrimental material.
Under current U.S. law, internet enterprises enjoy substantial immunity from liability concerning content posted by their users. If the jury in this case chooses to disregard this protection, it could pave the way for numerous other lawsuits alleging inherent harm caused by the platforms themselves.
Meta Platforms’ CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, is anticipated to be called as a witness in the trial, which is projected to run through March.
TikTok and Snap reached a settlement with KGM prior to the trial commencing.
A decision against these tech giants could trigger a wave of similar litigation in state courts and potentially weaken the industry’s long-standing American legal shield against user harm lawsuits involving Google, Meta, TikTok, and Snap.
About the Author
