Los Angeles jury begins trial over teen addiction claims

Jury selection started on Wednesday in Los Angeles for a trial that could force two major tech giants to explain their app designs to a public audience for the first time. The case involves two young plaintiffs who claim that features like endless scrolling and streak counters were engineered to create dependency.

The lawsuit was filed in 2023 in a Los Angeles trial court. The plaintiffs are seeking compensatory and punitive damages, though the specific amounts are not yet public. Mark Lanier, the lead attorney for the plaintiffs, noted that this is the first case to go to trial against Snapchat. He stated that the public will finally see some of the company's internal documents.

One plaintiff is a 16-year-old from Illinois identified as S.J. in court records. This user began using Snapchat as a child and alleges that the app's features led to compulsive use. The complaint links this behavior to depression, anxiety, an eating disorder, suicidal ideation, and self-harm. The other plaintiff is an 18-year-old from Mississippi identified as K.D.B. This user claims that using Meta's platforms and Snapchat from a young age contributed to similar mental health issues and self-harm.

The complaint argues that the companies defectively designed the platforms to appeal to minors who were unable to fully understand the risks. A Meta spokesperson countered that a young person's mental health is shaped by many factors. The spokesperson said K.D.B. used TikTok far more than Instagram or Facebook and that personal circumstances were a substantial factor in her struggles.

Snap also disputes the claims. A company spokesperson said that Snap has built safeguards and educational resources into the platform. The spokesperson added that the evidence will show the company put its community first and that the allegations misrepresent the platform's design. Both companies are expected to argue that external factors, rather than their products, caused the plaintiffs' difficulties.

Judge Carolyn Kuhl is presiding over the case. Opening statements are scheduled for early November. The plaintiffs' lawyers expect the trial to last until mid-December. Meta and Snap recently asked the court to split the matter into two separate trials. According to a person familiar with the matter, Kuhl has not yet ruled on that request.

TikTok and YouTube were part of the original lawsuit but settled before trial. Meta has also settled with S.J. but continues to contest the allegations made by K.D.B. Several high-profile executives are expected to testify, including Mark Zuckerberg, Adam Mosseri, and Evan Spiegel.

This case is one of several bellwether cases chosen from a large number of similar claims. A 2024 Pew Research Center survey found that nearly half of U.S. teens ages 13 to 17 said they are online almost constantly. In a separate landmark case earlier this year, a jury ordered companies to pay $6 million after finding they created products that led to harmful behavior among young users.