Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg arrives for a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing with representatives of social media companies at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
The lead attorney for the plaintiff, identified only as K.G.M, and for Meta presented dueling opening statements to jurors this week, offering an early preview of their most compelling arguments and points they are likely to revisit for the duration of the trial.
Mark Lanier, the attorney for the plaintiffs, told jurors that deciding in favor of his client, K.G.M. will be "as easy as ABC," which he told the court stands for "addicting the brains of children."
Lanier's opening statement was neither short nor lacking in props, including a toy Ferrari, a bicycle hand brake, and eggs —introduced to the jury, one-by-one, over the course of his two-hour remarks.
He argued the selective tactics used by tech giants were the same tactics embraced by casinos, "borrowing heavily" from slot machines and tobacco companies in an attempt to "deliberately" develop design features that maximize youth engagement, target younger users — and make it difficult for them to disengage from the platforms compared to older users and adults.
"For a teenager, social validation is survival," Lanier said, noting that Meta, Google, and others "engineered a feature that caters to a minor’s craving for social validation."
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A view of the U.S. Courthouse building in Los Angeles, Sept. 13, 2021. Criminal trials will be paused for two weeks in Los Angeles County after a spike in the Delta and Omicron variants following a holiday weekend, officials said Tuesday. (ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)
The outcome of the case could have a profound impact on hundreds of other cases in the U.S., including some that are slated to begin as early as this year.
It comes as parents, school districts, and other regulators have cited concerns about phone use among young people, including social media use.
Plaintiffs in the cases have argued that the companies themselves should be held liable for knowingly embracing design features that they say aim to keep children online.
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The majority of lawsuits filed to date against the companies have alleged similar harm, including addiction, depression, anxiety, or self-harm behaviors.
Because the case is being heard in civil court, it is unclear how much a jury might award to the plaintiff, should they find in favor of K.G.M.
But experts say these outcomes could have a far-reaching consequences beyond simply financial exposure, impacting the design and regulation standards for social media giants for years to come.
Breanne Deppisch is a national politics reporter for Fox News Digital covering the Trump administration, with a focus on the Justice Department, FBI and other national news. She previously covered national politics at the Washington Examiner and The Washington Post, with additional bylines in Politico Magazine, the Colorado Gazette and others. You can send tips to Breanne at Breanne.Deppisch@fox.com, or follow her on X at @breanne_dep.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/landmark-trial-accuses-meta-google-addicting-children-what-know