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Thu, 26 Feb 2026

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 'I stopped engaging' due to Instagram, YouTube, woman tells landmark trial

The young woman, who accuses Meta and Google of making addictive social media platforms, has been speaking in court.
20-year-old woman, known as KGM or Kaley, testifies in court that she spent her childhood years addicted to social media platforms Instagram and YouTube. She claims that using these platforms from age 6 (YouTube) and 9 (Instagram) without any barriers led to excessive screen time, which in turn affected her relationships with family members and contributed to her mental health problems. Kaley alleges that looking at Instagram was the first thing she did every day, and she continued using it throughout the day until bedtime. She also watched YouTube videos for hours on end, citing the platform's autoplay feature as a contributing factor to her prolonged screen time. The woman, who has been diagnosed with body dysmorphia, claims that she felt insecure and ugly when her social media posts didn't get enough likes. She also notes that she began experiencing anxiety and depression at age 9-10, which were later diagnosed as teenage disorders. Kaley's testimony contradicts Meta's argument that her excessive use of Instagram was not an addiction and that their platform is not responsible for her mental health problems. The trial, expected to last until mid-March, will be the first legal ruling on social media operators' responsibility towards their youngest users, with potential implications for thousands of similar lawsuits filed across the US. The lawsuit initially included TikTok and Snapchat, but they settled before the trial began, with the terms remaining undisclosed.