A landmark trial in Los Angeles is putting social media giants Meta and YouTube on trial over claims their platforms were deliberately designed to hook children — and on Thursday, the case’s lead plaintiff took the stand to tell her story in her own words.
The plaintiff, a 20-year-old woman identified in court as Kaley G.M. (KGM), testified in Los Angeles County Superior Court that she began using YouTube at age six and Instagram at age nine. According to The Guardian, by the time she was 10, she had become depressed and was engaging in self-harm.
“Every single day I was on it, all day long,” Kaley said in court. “I can’t stop, it’s just too hard to be without it, and every time I’ve tried to stop I’ve just been unsuccessful.”
Kaley described a cycle of craving online validation that eroded her self-esteem. “Whenever I got a bunch of likes I was really happy, and it made me feel really good about myself,” she said. “If I didn’t, I would feel insecure, like I looked ugly.” Records presented in court showed that at one point, Kaley spent 16 hours on Instagram in a single day.
She also testified that she began using Instagram’s built-in beauty filters at age nine, and soon found her unfiltered appearance repulsive. She said the experience contributed to years of anxiety, depression, and body dysmorphia — a condition that causes a person to obsessively focus on perceived flaws in their appearance. When her mother tried to take away her phone, Kaley said she would “scream and cry, throw a tantrum.” “Without it I felt like a huge part of me was missing,” she said.
Kaley also revealed she had suicidal thoughts and began cutting herself as a “coping mechanism to deal with my depression.”
The emotional testimony drew visible reactions from the jury. ABC7 reported that a female alternate juror began to cry, wiping away tears as Kaley described her ongoing struggles.
Kaley’s lawyers argue that features like infinite scroll, video autoplay, and “like” buttons are intentionally designed to keep young users glued to their screens. Their legal strategy echoes arguments used against big tobacco in the 1990s. When asked why she kept using YouTube even after being bullied on the platform, Kaley answered plainly: “Because being off of it bothered me more than the comments.”
Meta and YouTube deny wrongdoing. A Meta spokesperson, Liza Crenshaw, said: “The evidence will show she faced many significant, difficult challenges well before she ever used social media.” A YouTube spokesperson, José Castañeda, called the lawsuit’s allegations “simply not true,” adding that providing young people with a “safer, healthier experience has always been core to our work.”
Defense attorneys for both companies have tried to shift focus to Kaley’s home life, pointing to a turbulent childhood that included an absent and violent father and a difficult relationship with her mother, Karen. On cross-examination, Kaley acknowledged her home life was sometimes hard, but pushed back on the defense’s framing. “I already had body dysmorphia symptoms long before [my sister] started showing symptoms of an eating disorder,” she said.
The Los Angeles Times reported that gender dynamics have emerged as a potentially decisive factor in the trial. Several female jurors watched Kaley’s testimony with visible emotion, while some male jurors appeared less engaged. Legal experts say the composition of the jury could significantly influence the outcome.
This trial is the first of more than 20 “bellwether” cases drawn from a larger consolidated lawsuit involving more than 1,600 plaintiffs, including more than 350 families and 250 school districts. TikTok and Snap were originally named as defendants in Kaley’s case but settled for undisclosed amounts before the trial began in late January.
In the coming days, jurors are expected to hear from Kaley’s mother, Karen, and child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr. Kara Bagot. If the jury finds Meta and YouTube liable, the companies could face major financial penalties and be required to change how their platforms operate. The trial is expected to continue for another two to four weeks.
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