Opening arguments started this morning in two landmark trials that could reshape social media forever. In Los Angeles Superior Court, Meta (Instagram/Facebook) and YouTube face a 19-year-old plaintiff known as “KGM” who claims their platforms’ addictive design features caused her anxiety, body dysmorphia, and suicidal thoughts starting at age 10. Simultaneously, New Mexico’s attorney general is suing Meta for failing to protect children from sexual exploitation.
These are bellwether trials—their outcomes will influence 1,500+ similar lawsuits, hundreds of school district claims, and cases from 40+ state attorneys general. Meta warned in October that damages could reach “the high tens of billions of dollars.”
Here’s what makes this different from every other “social media is bad” moment: these lawsuits sidestep Section 230 entirely. They’re not attacking content on the platforms—they’re attacking the design of the platforms themselves. Infinite scroll. Auto-play videos. Algorithmic recommendations that keep kids scrolling for hours. The lawsuits argue companies “borrowed heavily from the behavioral and neurobiological techniques used by slot machines and exploited by the cigarette industry.”
Internal documents will show what these companies knew about the harm their design choices caused—and when they knew it. Mark Zuckerberg, Instagram head Adam Mosseri, and YouTube CEO Neal Mohan are all expected to testify during the 6-8 week trial.
This is choice architecture meets corporate accountability. Nobody voted for infinite scroll. But we’re all addicted to it. Watch the full breakdown to understand what’s at stake.
