LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Meta Platforms and YouTube deliberately designed products they knew would addict children, a lawyer for a woman suing the two companies told jurors in California on Monday at a trial that will test whether Big Tech platforms can be held liable for their app design.
The 20-year-old woman identified as Kaley G.M. in court is suing Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta Platforms (META.O) and Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) Google, which owns YouTube.
Kaley was hooked on social media at a young age because of the apps' addictive design, her lawyer Mark Lanier told jurors. Lanier said that internal company documents show that, "these companies built machines designed to addict the brains of children, and they did it on purpose."
Meta's attorney Paul Schmidt said in his opening statement that Kaley's health records show a history of verbal and physical abuse and a fraught relationship with her parents, who divorced when she was three years old.
"If you took Instagram away and everything else was the same in Kaley's life, would her life be completely different?" he asked.
YouTube's lawyer is expected to give an opening statement on Tuesday. Both companies have denied the allegations.
A verdict against the tech companies could smooth the way for similar cases in state court, and shake the industry's longstanding U.S. legal defense against claims of user harm. Google, Meta, TikTok and Snap (SNAP.N) face thousands of lawsuits in California.
Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg is expected to be called as a witness at the trial, which is likely to stretch into March.
TikTok and Snap settled with Kaley before the trial.
Kaley is also expected to testify. She alleges the apps fueled her depression and suicidal thoughts and she is seeking to hold the companies liable for worsening her mental health.
Her lawyers aim to show that the companies were negligent in their design of the apps, that they failed to warn the public about the risks, and that the platforms were a substantial factor in her injuries.
If they succeed, the jury will consider whether to award her damages for pain and suffering, and could also impose punitive damages.