Plaintiff Rests, Defense Begins Presenting Evidence in Social Media Addiction Trial

In the case of a California woman, now 20, allegedly harmed by social media, defense attorneys for Meta and Instagram present two witnesses from her school.

Instagram head Adam Mosseri leaves Los Angeles County Superior Court after testifying in a social media trial on Feb. 9, 2026. Apu Gomes/AFP via Getty Images

LOS ANGELES—After four weeks, attorneys representing the plaintiff in a landmark jury trial in Los Angeles Superior Court—considering whether two of the world’s largest social media companies may be held liable for alleged harms to children resulting from “addictive” design features—rested their case Friday.

The jury has heard testimony from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Instagram head Adam Mosseri, YouTube’s Vice President of Engineering Cristos Goodrow, as well as addiction experts, whistleblowers, and the plaintiff herself, a 20-year-old California woman identified in court documents as “K.G.M” or “Kaley G.M.”