Another social media addiction case is going before a jury, and Menlo Park-based Meta is a defendant again.
The case
Jury selection began Wednesday, Oct. 28, in Los Angeles Superior Court. The case was brought against Meta and Snap by two young plaintiffs who sued in 2023. CBS News Bay Area reports they allege that endless scrolling, Snapstreaks and other features kept them hooked and harmed their mental health. ABC7 says the complaint also cites push notifications and view counts. TikTok and YouTube were part of the original suit but settled before trial, and Meta settled with one of the plaintiffs, CBS reports.
The remaining claims against Meta come from an 18-year-old from Mississippi identified as K.D.B. She says her use of Instagram and Snapchat contributed to depression, anxiety and self-harm.
The companies' response
"A young person's mental health is shaped by many factors, as the evidence in this trial will show," a Meta spokesperson said. "The plaintiff used TikTok far more than Instagram or Facebook." Snap said the allegations "fundamentally misrepresent the plaintiffs' experiences on Snapchat."
What's next
Judge Carolyn Kuhl is presiding. Opening statements are expected in early November. Zuckerberg, Spiegel and Mosseri are expected to testify, and the plaintiffs' lawyers say the trial will likely run until mid-December. Lead plaintiffs' lawyer Mark Lanier said in an email to CBS that "this will be the first case against Snapchat." In March, in the same courtroom, a jury awarded $6 million to a plaintiff in a case against Meta and YouTube. ABC7 says the companies are appealing.