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The tech world holds its breath as a 12-person jury reached a verdict in a landmark trial that could reshape how social media giants design their apps.
The case, K.G.M. v. Meta & YouTube, pits a 20-year-old woman against two of the world’s most powerful platforms, claiming their products were deliberately built to be addictive.
The plaintiff says features like infinite scroll and autoplay hooked her from childhood, fueling depression, anxiety and mental health struggles.
For weeks, jurors heard firsthand how K.G.M. felt trapped in the apps’ endless loops, describing sleepless nights and obsessive scrolling she couldn’t control.
Meta and YouTube deny wrongdoing, insisting the platforms are safe and pointing to parental controls and safety tools as evidence of responsible design.
For the first time, social media executives, including Mark Zuckerberg, testified under oath about the inner workings of their products.
Courtroom documents revealed during the trial reportedly compared user engagement to addictive substances, showing how platform design encourages long hours of scrolling.
K.G.M.’s lawyers said the apps acted as “digital candy for the brain,” intentionally exploiting young user’s vulnerabilities.
Defense lawyers countered that personal and family factors were the real cause of the plaintiff’s struggles, not the platforms themselves.
Legal experts are calling the case a bellwether trial, potentially shaping thousands of similar lawsuits nationwide.
Parents of young social media users watched from the gallery, some wiping tears as K.G.M. described the impact of the apps on her daily life.
Closing arguments were heard on Thursday, and jurors began deliberations on Friday, with a verdict expected within days.
In civil cases like this, only nine of 12 jurors needs to agree for a decision, meaning the outcome could come fast, or result in a split jury.
The trial bypassed Section 230 immunity by targeting product design rather than content, making it a potential turning point for tech accountability.
As the jury deliberates, the world waits to see if Silicon Valley will face its first major courtroom reckoning over addiction and mental health.
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