Meta and Snap Face Jury in Los Angeles Over Teen Addiction Claims

Two teenagers are seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages from Meta and Snap after alleging that the companies' social media platforms were engineered to be addictive. Jury selection began on Wednesday in a Los Angeles trial court, marking the start of a legal contest that two lead counsel say will be the first to put Snapchat's internal documents before a public jury.

The plaintiffs filed their suit in 2023. They identify as S.J., a 16-year-old resident of Illinois, and K.D.B., an 18-year-old from Mississippi. S.J. claims that starting Snapchat at a young age led to compulsive use, which the complaint links to depression, anxiety, reduced sleep, an eating disorder, suicidal ideation, and self-harm. K.D.B. contends that early and sustained use of Meta’s platforms and Snapchat contributed to similar mental health issues and self-harm.

The legal team for the plaintiffs argues that the defendants created products specifically appealing to minors who were less able to assess risks. A complaint filed in Los Angeles states that the platforms were defectively designed to addict young users who were particularly susceptible to the resulting harms. Mark Lanier, founder of The Lanier Law Firm and lead counsel, noted that this case is the first trial against Snapchat and the first opportunity for the public to review the company's internal records.

Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, has settled with S.J. but continues to contest the claims made by K.D.B. A spokesperson for Meta stated that a young person's mental health is influenced by many factors. The spokesperson added that K.D.B. used TikTok more frequently than Instagram or Facebook and that her personal circumstances were a substantial factor in her struggles. Snap, the parent company of Snapchat, also disputes the allegations. A Snap spokesperson said the company built safeguards and safety tools into the platform and believes the evidence will show the company put its community first. The spokesperson argued that the allegations misrepresent the plaintiffs' experiences and the platform's design.

Both companies are expected to argue that external factors, rather than their products, caused the plaintiffs' difficulties. TikTok and YouTube were part of the original lawsuit but settled before this trial began. The case is one of several bellwether proceedings selected from a large number of similar claims filed against social media companies in recent years. A 2024 Pew Research Center survey found that nearly half of U.S. teens ages 13 to 17 said they are online almost constantly.

Earlier this year, a jury in a separate landmark case ordered companies to pay $6 million for creating products that led to harmful and addictive behavior among young users. In the current trial, Instagram head Adam Mosseri, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and Snap CEO Evan Spiegel are all expected to testify. The plaintiffs' lawyers anticipate the trial will continue until mid-December.

Opening statements are scheduled for early November under Judge Carolyn Kuhl. Earlier this week, Meta and Snap requested that the court split the matter into two separate trials. According to a person familiar with the matter, Judge Kuhl has not yet ruled on that request.