Lifelong social-media reliance highlighted in landmark addiction trial against Meta and YouTube

A 20-year-old plaintiff, identified as Kaley, testified that she began using YouTube at age 6 and Instagram at 9, spending nearly all day on social media and saying it contributed to depression and suicidal thoughts. The bellwether case against Meta and YouTube (TikTok and Snap have settled) could influence thousands of similar lawsuits, with arguments over whether features like notifications and filters were designed to be addictive and whether Kaley’s mental-health issues predated her social-media use. The trial, which could last weeks, has wide implications for tech accountability and child-safety protections online.