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news Scmp World 2026-04-09

Lawsuit alleges Meta and Google caused mental health harm through addictive design

A 20-year-old plaintiff sued Meta and Google, claiming that addictive design features in Instagram and YouTube harmed her mental health. The case highlights concerns regarding prolonged and excessive social media use.


I’ve yet to meet a parent who wished their child had more screen time. Though just how far the problem can go was laid bare in the recent case of KGM against Meta and Google in a US court. The 20-year-old plaintiff, KGM, sued the owners of Instagram and YouTube, claiming that her extensive use of those platforms was driven by a deliberate use of addictive design features and damaged her mental health. KGM said she had been using YouTube since she was six and Instagram since she was nine,...

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