Defendants and differing roles

David Streitfeld, Pulitzer-prize winning reporter covering tech for The New York Times, explains the landmark trial regarding social media addiction, brought by a 20-year-old woman against Meta’s Instagram and Google’s YouTube for optimizing their products to her mental and physical detriment.

Photo: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg leaves the Federal Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles after defending the company in a landmark social media addiction trial in Los Angeles, United States, on February 19, 2026. (Photo by Jon Putman/Anadolu via Getty Images)