While Google, as the owner of video-sharing site YouTube, was also a defendant in the case, most of the trial proceedings focused on Instagram and Meta. As for Kaley's lawyers, they argued that Meta and YouTube had built "addiction machines" and failed in their responsibility to prevent children from accessing their platforms. Kaley said she started using Instagram aged nine and YouTube aged six, and encountered no attempts to block her because of her age. "I stopped engaging with family because I was spending all my time on social media," Kaley said during her testimony. Another case against Meta and other social media platforms over their alleged harms to children is poised to begin in June in California federal court.

Source: The Times March 26, 2026 10:02 UTC