Social media addiction trial starts in LAAP, LOS ANGELESComparing social media platforms to casinos and addictive drugs, lawyer Mark Lanier on Monday delivered opening statements in a landmark trial in Los Angeles that seeks to hold Instagram owner Meta and Google’s YouTube responsible for harms to children who use their products. Photo: AFPMeta lawyer Paul Schmidt spoke of the disagreement within the scientific community over social media addiction, with some researchers believing it does not exist, or that addiction is not the most appropriate way to describe heavy social media use. He showed the findings of a study Meta conducted called “Project Myst” in which they surveyed 1,000 teens and their parents about their social media use. Lanier spent time describing KGM’s childhood, focusing particularly on what her personality was like before she began using social media. She was a minor when she said she became addicted to social media, which she claims had a detrimental impact on her mental health.

Source: Taipei Times February 10, 2026 21:45 UTC