Owners of Instagram and YouTube Built “Addiction Machines,” Court Told in Landmark Technology Trial

A high-profile court hearing has been told that the owners of Instagram and YouTube deliberately designed their platforms as “addiction machines,” prioritising user engagement and profit over the mental well-being of users, particularly children and adolescents.

The allegations were presented during an ongoing trial examining the social and psychological harms associated with major social media platforms.

Lawyers representing plaintiffs argued that parent companies Meta Platforms and Google systematically engineered features such as infinite scrolling, autoplay, algorithmic recommendations, and targeted notifications to maximise time spent on the platforms.

According to testimony, internal research conducted by the companies themselves allegedly identified links between prolonged use and adverse outcomes, including anxiety, depression, sleep disruption, and diminished self-esteem among young users, yet product design choices continued to reinforce compulsive usage patterns.

The trial forms part of a broader wave of litigation brought by families, school districts, and state authorities, who claim that the platforms failed to adequately warn users of risks or implement effective safeguards.

Company representatives have rejected the characterisation of their products as intentionally addictive, maintaining that they provide parental controls, age-appropriate tools, and digital wellbeing features, and that responsibility for usage patterns is shared among users, families, and educators.

The proceedings are being closely watched by policymakers and regulators, as the outcome could have significant implications for technology governance, corporate accountability, and future regulation of algorithm-driven digital platforms.

Source: Reuters; Associated Press