'I stopped engaging' due to Instagram, YouTube, woman tells landmark trial

"I stopped engaging with family because I was spending all my time on social media. She told the court in Los Angeles that she began using YouTube at the age of 6 and Instagram aged 9 and encountered no barriers to prevent her using them despite her young age."

"Now 20 years old, Kaley told the court that looking at Instagram was the first thing she did when she woke up each day and that she continued all day until she went to sleep at night, leading to difficulties at school, at home and with her mental health."

"She also watched YouTube videos for hours on end, noting that the platform's autoplay feature, where a new video starts automatically after the previous one has ended, kept her on it. Failing to get enough likes on her social media posts left her feeling insecure."

A 20-year-old woman, identified as KGM or Kaley, is suing Meta and Google over the addictive nature of Instagram and YouTube. She began using YouTube at age 6 and Instagram at age 9 without age restrictions. Kaley testified that social media consumed her entire day, from waking until sleep, causing her to withdraw from family and experience mental health problems and school difficulties. She described YouTube's autoplay feature as particularly engaging and noted that insufficient social media likes caused insecurity. Meta argues the excessive use was not addiction and the platform bears no responsibility for her mental health issues. This trial, expected to conclude in mid-March, represents the first major legal ruling on social media operators' responsibility to young users and will likely influence thousands of similar lawsuits filed across the United States.

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