“I Couldn’t Log Off”: 20-yr-old woman takes Meta, YouTube to Court over alleged social media addiction
Harvinder Kaur
Chandigarh, February 27, 2026: A 20-year-old American woman has taken two of the world’s biggest tech companies to court, alleging their platforms trapped her in a cycle of compulsive use that deepened her depression and suicidal thoughts.
Kaley GM has filed a lawsuit against Meta Platforms — the parent company of Instagram — and Google, which owns YouTube. The closely watched case is unfolding in Los Angeles and could shape the legal future of thousands of similar claims across the United States.
Testifying before a jury, Kaley described how her relationship with social media began at just six years old with YouTube videos. What started as casual viewing, she said, gradually turned into something she could not control.
She told the court that she spent hours scrolling and watching, struggling to disconnect even when she tried. At one point, according to court records cited by her lawyer, she was logged onto Instagram for 16 hours in a single day.
Even negative experiences failed to pull her away. Despite being bullied on Instagram, she continued using the platform, saying she feared being left out if she signed off.
Her legal team argues that the platforms were intentionally designed to keep young users hooked, worsening her mental health during her formative years.
Kaley recounted sneaking her phone at night after her mother had taken it away, returning it before morning to avoid detection. She described feeling deeply distressed when denied access.
By age 12, she had begun therapy. In her first session, she reportedly linked her anxiety and withdrawal from family life to excessive social media use. She also spoke about frequently using filters to alter her appearance — making her eyes look larger and her ears smaller — and expressed dissatisfaction with her body in posts shown to jurors.
When asked in court whether her sleep, grades, and overall well-being might have been better without social media, she replied in the affirmative.
Under cross-examination, however, Kaley acknowledged turmoil at home. Messages presented in court showed that she had felt unsafe and frequently criticized within her family environment.
Defense attorneys argue that these offline factors — not digital platforms — were the primary drivers of her mental health challenges.
The companies have denied wrongdoing. During earlier proceedings, Mark Zuckerberg defended Meta’s policies, rejecting claims that the company knowingly profited from harmful engagement among minors.
Kaley’s lawsuit is the first of three major trials expected in the same court, each examining whether tech giants deliberately engineered addictive features targeting young users. The verdict could influence thousands of pending cases nationwide, many accusing social media platforms of contributing to rising rates of anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and self-harm among adolescents.
In a twist that surprised many observers, Kaley testified that she hopes to work as a social media manager in the future — turning the very skills she developed online into a career.