Twenty-year-old to testify at US trial about harm from social media addiction
The Guardian World
by Dara KerrFebruary 26, 2026
AI-Generated Deep Dive Summary
A 20-year-old woman, identified as KGM, is set to testify in a landmark US trial alleging that social media companies intentionally designed their platforms to be addictive, leading to severe mental health issues for young users. The case focuses on the alleged "addictive design" of Meta (owner of Instagram and Facebook) and YouTube, which plaintiffs claim hooked children before they turned 10. KGM, now 20, claims she became addicted to social media as a child, spending hours scrolling through content that later caused her depression and body dysmorphia.
The lawsuit, currently in trial in Los Angeles, is part of a broader legal movement seeking accountability for tech companies' role in harming young users. KGM's lawyers argue that the platforms' algorithms and features are designed to keep users engaged for extended periods, exacerbating mental health struggles. This trial marks the first time such testimony will be heard by a jury, signaling a potential turning point in how courts address social media's impact on children
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Originally published on The Guardian World on 2/26/2026