Marion McKeone: Judgement day for social media platforms

Big Tech is facing a class action in the US over the addictive design of online apps

At its core, the case that will play out before a Los Angeles jury over the next six to eight weeks is about two things; whether Instagram and YouTube designed their platforms in a way that could cause children to become addicted to social media.

The Stanley Mosk Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles is no stranger to boldface names in civil actions; in November 2021 thousands of Britney Spears fans, most of them dressed in pink, thronged the plaza to celebrate the end of her legal conservatorship. 

Other famous civil cases involved George Harrison, Kim Basinger, Aaron Spelling, and Lee Marvin.