Instagram and YouTube owners built 'addiction machines', trial hears

A landmark trial began in California accusing Meta and YouTube of deliberately creating "addiction machines" targeting children's brains, with plaintiff K.G.M. claiming social media addiction caused her mental health issues. Lawyers presented internal documents including a 2015 Mark Zuckerberg email demanding 12% increased platform usage, while Meta's defense argued the teen's problems stemmed from family abuse and neglect rather than Instagram use. This six-week trial could establish monetary damages affecting thousands of similar lawsuits nationwide against social media companies.