00:00Meta platforms and YouTube face legal scrutiny over allegations their platforms are fueling a youth mental health crisis as the national debate about kids' screen time enters a new phase.
00:13Meta and YouTube are defendants in a trial in California State Court where opening statements began on February 9th in a case that could have a lasting impact on the social media industry.
00:24A 20-year-old woman identified as KGM says the attention-grabbing design of the platforms got her addicted to them at a young age, according to court filings.
00:35She alleges the apps fueled her depression and suicidal thoughts and she is seeking to hold the company's libel.
00:42The woman's lawyers aim to show that the companies were negligent in their design of the apps, that they failed to warn the public about the risks, and that the platforms were a substantial factor in her injuries.
00:53YouTube, which is owned by Google Parent Alphabet, and Meta, which owns Instagram and Facebook, both plan to defend themselves from the claims by pointing to other factors in KGM's life, while laying out their work on youth safety and trying to distance themselves from users who upload harmful content.
01:13Under U.S. law, internet companies are largely shielded from liability for material their users post.
01:20If the jury in this case rejects that defense, it could pave the way for other lawsuits claiming the platforms are harmful by design.
01:29Meta-CEO Mark Zuckerberg is expected to take the witness stand during the trial, which could run into next month.
01:35Tick-Tock and Snap settled with KGM before the trial.
01:39Attorney Colin Walke is a partner and head of the cybersecurity and data privacy practice at Hall Estill.
01:46He is not involved in the case, but is tracking it closely.
01:49Settlements, you know, don't necessarily indicate guilt or any of those sorts of things, but it does certainly show that TikTok does not want this type of information to come out at trial and for them to be judged on the merits of the case.
02:04It might also indicate on the flip side of that coin, to be fair, that the plaintiffs realize there are some arguments to be had on the side of the tech companies that might ultimately prevail as a legal matter.
02:15Companies are dealing with more than 2,300 similar lawsuits filed by parents, school districts, and state attorneys general in federal court.
02:25The judge overseeing those is weighing the company's liability protections ahead of the first trial over the claims in federal court, which could happen as early as June.
02:34The wave of litigation in the U.S. is part of a global backlash against social media platforms over children's mental health.
02:42Australia and Spain have prohibited access to social media platforms for users under the age of 16, and other countries are considering similar bans.
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