Meta and Snap face Los Angeles trial over alleged harm to young social media users

Meta and Snap face a Los Angeles trial over allegations that their platforms harmed young users, with jury selection expected to begin on October 28, according to AFP. The case is a test of claims raised in thousands of lawsuits against social media companies in the United States; the allegations in this trial remain disputed.

The proceedings bring together cases involving two plaintiffs identified in court papers as S.J. and K.D.B. Reuters reported that both plaintiffs’ claims against Snap remain for trial, along with K.D.B.’s claims against Meta. TikTok and YouTube settled with both plaintiffs before trial, while Meta settled with S.J.

What the plaintiffs allege

Meta disputes the claims. A company spokesperson told Reuters it has built protections into its platforms for a decade and said: ‘A young person’s mental health is shaped by many factors, as the evidence in this trial will show.’ Meta owns Instagram and Facebook.

Snap says Snapchat differs from platforms built around feeds of ranked posts and that it has safeguards for users. ‘We believe the evidence will support that we have put our community first, and that these allegations fundamentally misrepresent their experiences on Snapchat and how our platform was designed,’ a Snap spokesperson said in a statement reported by Reuters.

Why this Los Angeles trial matters

Reuters described the cases as bellwethers among more than 3,000 lawsuits consolidated in Los Angeles Superior Court. A bellwether is a test case whose result could influence how other cases are resolved. This is the second trial involving individual plaintiffs who say social media companies deliberately designed their platforms to be addictive, Reuters reported.

In the first such trial, a jury found Meta and YouTube negligent in March and ordered them to pay a combined $6 million, according to Reuters. AFP reported that Meta said it ‘respectfully disagree[d]’ with that verdict. Snap and TikTok had settled with the plaintiff before that trial.

Meta and Snap have asked Judge Carolyn Kuhl to separate the two plaintiffs’ cases, arguing that a combined trial would unfairly mix evidence for jurors. Reuters reported that she had not ruled on the request. AFP said opening statements were planned for November 4 if no further settlements were reached.