In a pivotal moment for the landmark social media addiction trial gripping Los Angeles, a licensed therapist testified this week that the design mechanics of Instagram and YouTube were a "contributing factor" to the severe mental health decline of a young woman. The testimony in Kaley G.M. vs. Meta marks a significant escalation in the legal battle to hold Big Tech accountable for the youth mental health crisis 2026.
Therapist Testimony Exposes "Engineered Addiction"
Victoria Burke, a licensed psychotherapist who treated the plaintiff, Kaley G.M., when she was 13, took the stand in the Los Angeles County Superior Court to provide a clinical perspective on the plaintiff's spiraling mental health. Burke detailed how Kaley, now 20, suffered from deepening adolescent depression and anxiety, social phobia, and body dysmorphic disorder—conditions the therapist linked directly to her compulsive use of social media platforms.
"She would describe a compulsion to check, to scroll, to be seen," Burke told the jury. "It wasn't just a pastime; it was a source of distress that she could not disconnect from." While Burke stopped short of identifying social media as the sole cause, her testimony reinforced the plaintiff's core argument: that Big Tech liability hinges on the deliberate creation of addictive environments that exploit vulnerable developing brains.
The "Addiction Machine" Argument
Lead attorney Mark Lanier, representing Kaley G.M., seized on the testimony to characterize Meta and Google's algorithms as "addiction machines." The plaintiff's legal team argues that features like infinite scrolling, intermittent variable rewards (similar to slot machines), and constant push notifications are not neutral tools but predatory designs meant to maximize engagement at the expense of user well-being.
"They didn't build a library; they built a casino for kids," Lanier argued earlier in the trial. The Meta Instagram lawsuit alleges that these companies knew their products were harmful yet prioritized profit over safety. Kaley, who began using YouTube at age six and Instagram at nine, reportedly developed a dependency so severe that she would suffer panic attacks when separated from her devices.
Big Tech's Defense Strategy
Defense attorneys for Meta and Google pushed back aggressively, attempting to shift the narrative toward Kaley's personal history. During cross-examination, they highlighted her chaotic home life and argued that her mental health struggles were rooted in family dynamics rather than screen time. Meta's legal team emphasized that millions of teenagers use their platforms without developing clinical issues, suggesting that the social media therapist testimony relied on correlation rather than causation.
A Bellwether for the Industry
The Kaley G.M. vs. Meta case is being watched globally as a bellwether trial. It is the first of thousands of similar lawsuits to reach a jury, and its outcome could set a precedent for Big Tech liability in the United States. Unlike previous attempts to regulate content, this social media addiction trial focuses on product liability—the idea that the app itself is a defective product.
If the jury finds in favor of Kaley G.M., it could trigger a wave of settlements and force a fundamental redesign of how social media platforms operate. "This is the tobacco moment for social media," said a legal analyst observing the proceedings. "If they can prove the design was the weapon, the liability is astronomical."
What Comes Next?
As the trial continues, Kaley G.M. herself is expected to take the stand, offering a first-hand account of her decade-long struggle. With TikTok and Snap having already settled out of court, Meta and Google stand alone to face the judgment of the jury. For now, the spotlight remains on the courtroom in Los Angeles, where the future of the digital economy and youth mental health hangs in the balance.
