Jury will hear arguments today about effect of social media giants like YouTube, Meta and TikTok

NPR -  A jury will hear arguments today as social media giants like YouTube, Meta and TikTok stand trial over allegations that their platforms are designed to hook young users. The landmark case probes whether the companies contributed to the youth mental health crisis. The jury’s verdict could potentially reshape the tech industry. 

The trial will provide a rare look at how these social media platforms operate, according to NPR’s Shannon Bond. The jurors will receive thousands of internal documents, including the companies’ research on children. The plaintiffs accuse the tech companies of developing features, like autoplay videos, that make the apps nearly impossible for children to put down. In some cases, this has led to depression, eating disorders and more. The tech giants dispute these claims and have said that there’s no clinical diagnosis of addiction to social media.