LOS ANGELES (Journos News) – A 20-year-old California woman has told a Los Angeles jury that she spent “all day long” on social media as a child, describing how notifications, filters and online feedback shaped her self-image and mental health. Her testimony comes in a closely watched social media addiction trial against Meta and YouTube, two of the last remaining defendants in a broader legal battle over whether major platforms knowingly fostered addictive use among minors.
The case is one of several selected as bellwether trials in U.S. courts, meaning its outcome could influence how thousands of similar lawsuits proceed. Plaintiffs across the country allege that social media companies designed features that encouraged compulsive use, particularly among children and teenagers, contributing to anxiety, depression and self-harm.
Attorneys for the companies deny those claims, arguing that mental health struggles are complex and influenced by a range of factors beyond online platforms.
Early use and mounting concerns
The woman, identified in court documents as KGM and referred to during proceedings as Kaley, testified that she began using YouTube at age six and joined Instagram at nine. She told jurors that she would spend hours on the platforms daily and struggled to limit her use.
Kaley said notifications from both platforms gave her a “rush,” prompting her to check her phone repeatedly, including during school hours. She described setting up multiple accounts to boost engagement on her posts and using services to exchange likes with other users to appear more popular.
“When I tried to set limits for myself, it wouldn’t work,” she said. “I just couldn’t get off.”
Her legal team argues that features such as push notifications and appearance-altering filters were deliberately designed to increase engagement and contributed to her depression, body dysmorphia and suicidal thoughts. In court, attorneys displayed a long banner of her Instagram photos, most of which she said had been edited with filters.
In one YouTube video shown to jurors, a younger Kaley celebrated reaching 100 subscribers before apologizing for what she called her “ugly appearance.” She told the court she had not experienced negative body image issues before using social media and filters.
A turbulent home life in focus
Defense attorneys for Meta and YouTube have sought to shift attention to Kaley’s home environment and personal history. During cross-examination, lawyers pointed to family conflict, in-person bullying and other stressors documented in therapy notes.
Kaley described arguments with her mother, often centered on phone use. Asked about earlier claims of abuse, she initially said her mother “wasn’t perfect, but she was trying her best,” and that she would not label her past actions as abuse or neglect today.
Later, under cross-examination, Kaley acknowledged that her mother had been physically and emotionally abusive during the period when she was self-harming in sixth grade. She also confirmed that no doctor or mental health provider had formally diagnosed her with social media addiction or prescribed treatment for it.
Defense attorneys repeatedly referred to her 2025 deposition testimony, highlighting statements that appeared to contradict aspects of her courtroom account regarding the causes of her anxiety and depression. Kaley said she had tried to answer deposition questions accurately but may have misspoken at times.
A former therapist, Victoria Burke, testified earlier in the week that Kaley’s social media presence and her sense of self were “closely related,” and that events on the platforms could “make or break her mood.” Under cross-examination, Meta’s attorneys reviewed therapy notes that also cited school bullying and family issues as significant stressors.
Burke treated Kaley for approximately six months in 2019.
Broader legal and regulatory context
The social media addiction trial unfolds amid intensifying scrutiny of major technology platforms over their impact on young users. In recent years, lawmakers and regulators in the United States and abroad have examined internal research and product design choices at companies including Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook.
Public debate has centered on whether engagement-driven algorithms and appearance filters amplify social comparison and compulsive use, particularly among adolescents. The companies maintain that they have introduced safety tools, parental controls and usage reminders, and argue that they cannot be held liable for complex mental health outcomes influenced by multiple factors.
TikTok and Snap were initially named in related litigation but have since reached settlements in this case, leaving Meta and YouTube as the remaining defendants in the current trial.
Legal experts say bellwether proceedings can provide insight into how juries may assess evidence and causation in similar lawsuits. However, each case turns on its own facts, and outcomes are not automatically binding on other plaintiffs.
The trial is expected to continue for several weeks. Jurors will ultimately be asked to determine whether the platforms were a substantial factor in Kaley’s mental health struggles and whether the companies should be held legally responsible.
For families, policymakers and the technology industry alike, the verdict could signal how courts weigh product design, parental responsibility and adolescent vulnerability in the digital age.
Source: AP News – Young woman says she was on social media ‘all day long’ as a child in landmark addiction trial
