Instagram Addiction Claims Put Meta’s Algorithms on Trial | WION Podcast

[00:00:00]Welcome to the We on podcast. In this episode, we explore Meta's Tennessee trial where Instagram stands accused of engineering teenage addiction as jurors confront algorithms, mental health harms, corporate responsibility, and the future of social media. A United States court has opened a trial against Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp over allegations that it deliberately created addictive features aimed at teenagers.

[00:00:31]Jury selection began in Nashville, Tennessee on July 20th after the state's attorney general filed a lawsuit under Tennessee's consumer protection law.

[00:00:41]Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has described Instagram as an addiction machine designed to encourage compulsive use among young people.

[00:00:50]The lawsuit claims Meta concealed internal research about potential harm to teenage users, misled the public about safety, and continued using features it allegedly knew carried serious risks.

[00:01:04]Meta Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg has previously denied that the company intentionally designs its algorithms to make teenagers addicted.

[00:01:13]He has also said Meta has invested heavily in safety tools for younger users. The trial is expected to continue for 6 to 7 weeks. A finding against the company could lead to civil penalties of up to $1,000 for every violation of Tennessee's Consumer Protection Act along with court-ordered changes to Instagram's features and business practices.

[00:01:36]The case is part of a much wider legal battle over whether social media platforms maximize engagement at the expense of children's mental health.

[00:01:45]In May, Meta settled a lawsuit filed by Breathitt County Schools in Kentucky for $9 million.

[00:01:53]The district had sought $60 million alleging that addictive features on Facebook and Instagram harmed students.

[00:02:00]Meta denied wrongdoing.

[00:02:03]In March 2026, a Los Angeles jury found Meta and Google liable for negligently designing addictive features that harmed Kaylee Glenn Mills.

[00:02:14]Her lawyers argued that infinite scrolling, autoplay, and algorithmic recommendations contributed to years of compulsive use and serious mental health struggles.

[00:02:26]The jury awarded $6 million, dividing 70% of the responsibility to Meta and 30% to Google.

[00:02:34]Meta disagreed with the verdict, arguing that teenage mental health is deeply complex and cannot be blamed on a single application.

[00:02:43]That same month, a New Mexico jury ordered Meta to pay $375 million in civil penalties after finding that it misled consumers about platform safety and concealed information about risks involving child sexual exploitation.

[00:03:00]Meta has appealed both that judgment and the California verdict.

[00:03:05]The company, Google, and other major technology firms now face thousands of lawsuits from state attorneys general, schools, and individual families.

[00:03:15]At the center of these cases is one question.

[00:03:18]Whether social media platforms were knowingly built to encourage compulsive use among children while failing to warn them about the possible consequences.

[00:03:28]Thanks for tuning into this incredible story.

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