Woman at heart of US trial says she was addicted to social media aged six | Technology
The young woman at the center of a landmark case about the addictive nature of social media testified for the first time on Thursday, saying she had been addicted to YouTube since the age of six and Instagram since the age of nine. He said that when he turned 10, he became depressed and started harming himself.
The woman, now 20 and known by her initials KGM, is one of the lead plaintiffs in a sweeping lawsuit against YouTube and Meta, which owns Instagram and Facebook. The gist of the lawsuit alleges that social media companies are intentionally producing addictive products, which are causing mental health issues in young people.
KGM testified on Thursday that her use of social media made her anxious and insecure, and that features such as beauty filters distorted her self-image. However, when her mother picked up her mobile phone, KGM said she would panic because she was missing something. He said he still uses social media.
“I can’t do it, it’s too hard to be without him,” he said when questioned by his lawyer in Los Angeles County Superior Court. According to Reuters.
He said the cycle of social media use caused KGM’s relationships with his family and at school to become strained. She said she had suicidal thoughts and began cutting herself as a “coping mechanism for my depression.”
The hearing is the first in a group of consolidated lawsuits filed against Meta, TikTok, YouTube and Snap on behalf of more than 1,600 plaintiffs, including more than 350 families and 250 school districts. KGM’s case is also the first of more than 20 “pioneer” cases used to gauge juries’ reactions and potential verdicts and set legal precedent. If jurors rule in favor of the plaintiffs, social media companies could face hefty financial penalties and be forced to change the way their platforms operate.
KGM’s lawyers claim that some of the features these social media companies have built into their platforms, such as infinite scrolling and automatic video playback, are designed to keep people on the apps and increase their addictive qualities. Advocates also argue that “like” buttons feed young people’s desire for approval. Their legal arguments echo those brought against big tobacco in the 1990s.
TikTok and Snap were initially named as defendants in the KGM lawsuit, but just before the hearing began last month, both companies reached settlement agreements, the terms of which were not publicly disclosed.
Meta and YouTube deny any wrongdoing in the case. YouTube spokesman José Castañeda called the allegations in the lawsuits “absolutely untrue” and said that providing young people “a safer, healthier experience has always been at the core of our business.”
Meta presented a briefing on Wednesday, arguing that KGM’s mental health problems were exacerbated by her difficult home life. “The evidence shows that he faced many significant, difficult challenges long before using social media,” Meta spokeswoman Liza Crenshaw said.
KGM, who now works as a personal shopper at Walmart, testified on Thursday that her mother was abusive and occasionally hit her, according to Reuters. But he also stated that his mother was a loving parent who worked hard to raise three children. KGM said he still lives with his mother.
In the coming days, jurors are expected to hear from KGM’s mother, Karen, and child and adolescent psychiatrist Kara Bagot.
KGM’s former therapist, Victoria Burke, testified Wednesday that she worked with KGM for several months when she was 13 and 14 and diagnosed him with body dysmorphic disorder and social phobia. According to NBC News. The therapist said the teen often looked back at his phone and appeared to be “sitting around doing something rather than being perceived as having no friends.”
Burke said he believes social media is a “contributing factor” to FGM’s mental health issues.
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta; Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, and Cristos Goodrow, YouTube’s vice president of engineering, also testified in the past two weeks. The trial, which started in late January, is expected to last another two to four weeks.
