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Jury Weighs Bellwether Case on Social Media Design Liability in Los Angeles

The verdict could steer roughly 1,600 related cases by testing a design‑defect theory that sidesteps Section 230.

Meta's chief Mark Zuckerberg was a star witness at the social media addiction trial in Los Angeles

Overview

  • Jurors entered another day of deliberations after beginning March 13, submitting questions about the plaintiff’s family circumstances and her childhood use of Instagram.
  • The 20-year-old plaintiff, identified as Kaley G.M., testified that starting YouTube at age six and joining Instagram at nine fueled depression, body dysmorphia and suicidal thoughts.
  • Plaintiffs target features such as infinite scroll, autoplay, algorithmic recommendations, likes and notifications under negligence and product‑liability theories rather than content liability.
  • A jury form asks whether Meta or YouTube should have known of dangers to children, whether their designs were substantial factors in harm, and what damages to award if liable.
  • TikTok and Snapchat settled before trial, leaving Meta and Google as defendants, and evidence includes internal Meta research flagged in the Facebook Papers, with Mark Zuckerberg having testified on Feb. 18.