What social media addiction looks like, according to the woman suing Meta and YouTube
Mar 9th 2026
In a Los Angeles trial, a 20 year old known as Kaley testified that early use of YouTube and Instagram became addictive and contributed to self harm and mental health problems, while Meta and YouTube deny the claims and point to other factors.
- Kaley says she started using YouTube at age 6, posted her first video at 8, and used Instagram from about age 9 without her mother knowing.
- She testified that autoplay, notifications and creating multiple accounts kept her scrolling for hours and drove an obsession with likes and followers.
- Kaley says prolonged platform use contributed to self harm, body dysmorphia and suicidal thoughts and that she still struggles with social media today.
- Meta and YouTube deny the addiction claims, citing family factors and platform data that they say show limited logged in use.
- The Los Angeles trial could set a precedent for hundreds of lawsuits alleging tech platforms intentionally addict and harm young users.