Facebook, YouTube and TikTok face unprecedented lawsuit

Facebook, YouTube and TikTok are facing an unprecedented lawsuit in the United States over allegations that their platforms cause psychological harm by addicting children and teenagers to social media.

The case is being heard at a court in Los Angeles, California, against Meta, Alphabet and ByteDance, the parent companies of the respective platforms.

According to AFP, jury selection for the trial will begin on Tuesday, January 27. Analysts describe the case as a landmark lawsuit in the US judicial system concerning social media accountability.

The lawsuit alleges that the companies deliberately used designs and algorithms that keep children and adolescents engaged on screens for prolonged periods. As a result, many users reportedly suffered from depression, mental illness and eating disorders, with claims that some cases even led to suicide.

The plaintiff is a 19-year-old American woman who alleges she suffered psychological harm due to social media addiction. For privacy reasons, she has been identified only as “KGM”.

Lawyers for the plaintiff said the case does not focus on content, but rather on platform design and algorithms, which they claim were intentionally engineered to create addiction, particularly among children.

Matthew Bergman, founder of the Social Media Victims Law Centre, said the verdict could set a precedent for thousands of future lawsuits against social media companies.

Meanwhile, the companies have sought immunity under Section 230 of the US Communications Decency Act but have yet to issue any official statement on the case.

Experts believe the ruling could have far-reaching implications for social media regulation, not only in the United States but worldwide.