Los Angeles – YouTube’s lawyers told a Los Angeles jury that the Google-owned video platform is not addictive and shouldn’t even be called social media, on the second day of a major U.S. trial targeting tech giants.
The case, which also involves Meta — the parent company of Instagram and Facebook — could set an important legal precedent over whether tech companies deliberately design their platforms to be addictive to children.
“YouTube is not social media, and it’s not addiction,” lawyer Luis Li told the 12 jurors, defending the platform.
The lawsuit centers on a 20-year-old woman, Kaley G.M., who claims she suffered severe mental harm after becoming “addicted” to social media as a child. Kaley reportedly started using YouTube at six, Instagram at 11, and later Snapchat and TikTok.
Li argued that Kaley is not addicted to YouTube, citing statements from her, her doctor, and her father. He said YouTube’s focus is simply offering content for free on phones, computers, and TVs, and noted that more people watch YouTube on television than on mobile devices.
The lawyer emphasized that users return to YouTube for its content quality, pointing to internal company emails that favored educational and socially useful content over purely viral videos.
Plaintiffs, on the other hand, accuse YouTube and Meta of intentionally engineering addictive experiences to grow users and profits. Hundreds of similar lawsuits across the U.S. allege that social media has led young users to depression, eating disorders, psychiatric hospitalization, and even suicide.
The plaintiffs’ strategy draws inspiration from lawsuits against the tobacco industry in the 1990s and 2000s, arguing that companies knowingly sold a harmful product.
This trial is being closely watched, as its outcome could influence a wave of similar legal battles against tech giants nationwide.
