California Woman Testifies About Social Media Addiction

A 20-year-old woman from California shared her experiences in a Los Angeles courtroom on Thursday, discussing her early addiction to social media and its impact on her mental health. This case raises questions about whether major tech companies should be held accountable for allegedly harming young users.

The woman, referenced in court documents as Kaylee GM, testified that her heavy use of YouTube began when she was just six, followed by Instagram at the age of nine. These platforms, she explained, significantly affected her life, leading to anxiety, depression, concerns about her appearance, struggles in school, sleep issues, and troubled family dynamics.

During her testimony, Kaylee revealed that her mental health worsened over time. By ten, she had begun self-harming. “I started cutting myself as a way to cope with my depression,” she conveyed, although she clarified that she had never acted on suicidal thoughts.

This case fits into a broader global movement challenging social media companies regarding their potential harms to minors. Recently, Australia implemented a ban on social media use by individuals under 16, with several other nations contemplating similar measures.

Both Google and Meta have refuted the claims made against them, asserting that the evidence does not support the allegations.

Kaylee further testified about her ongoing struggle to detach from social media as an adult. She recalled a time when her mother took away her cell phone. The incident caused anger and heightened anxiety for her. When questioned about her ability to quit social media, she admitted, “I can’t. It’s very hard without it.”

Her attorney, Mark Lanier, questioned her intense desire to retrieve her phone. Kaylee responded, emphasizing that without it, she felt incomplete and feared missing out on important connections, which triggered panic.

She expressed that, despite facing online bullying, she felt more distressed about being offline than the negative comments she encountered. This reliance on social media for validation and connection paints a vivid picture of her struggles.

The lawsuit, initially filed by Kaylee’s mother two years ago, argues that Meta and Google were aware of the potential mental and behavioral health risks associated with social media for young children but continued to profit from their addictive designs.

The day prior to Kaylee’s testimony, a former psychotherapist who treated her when she was 13 and 14 testified that excessive social media use contributed to her mental health challenges, noting diagnoses of social phobia and body dysmorphic disorder from that time.

The trial has been ongoing since late January, focusing on what companies know about social media’s impact on children and their marketing strategies toward young users. During the proceedings, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg indicated that while there have been discussions about products for children, none have actually been launched.

Defense attorneys have also pointed to Kaylee’s personal background as a potential factor in her struggles. They noted in their opening statements that her health records suggest a history of verbal and physical abuse and a complicated relationship with her parents, who divorced when she was three. Kaylee’s mother is expected to testify following her daughter.