Social media has been a long-standing focus of The Pitch since its boom in the mid-2000s. Between its addictive platforms and the implications of mental health and misinformation on impressionable teens and tweens, the MCPS community is very familiar with social media’s highly engaging environment. Now, a 20-year-old woman named Kaley has served as a catalyst for the controversy surrounding online platforms emerging once more.
In February, the plaintiff, Kaley (identified by court documents as KGM), accused Meta of deliberately developing its platforms to be addictive, notably towards minors. She claimed that they were the principal cause of her severe mental health conditions (including depression, eating disorders, anxiety and suicidality).
“Teenagers can see things that start to affect their self-image,” WJ counselor Dennis Reynolds said. “Their self-worth and the bullying aspect out there that can happen on social media is always a concern because it can happen so quickly, so widespread and anonymously.”
As of 2026, the company co-founded by Mark Zuckerberg, Meta Platforms, which includes Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and several other sites, has more than 2,000 pending lawsuits, many of which regarding social media’s addictive design and its cognitive effects. However, the KGM v. Meta case is one of the first to reach trial, bringing with it the possibility of setting a precedent for similar cases and shaping their outcomes.
The reason that this particular case, out of thousands, has drawn so much attention is that its central argument is that Meta’s apps are made intentionally to addict children. They have been accused of deliberate recruitment of minors, something corroborated by an internal document from 2018 which states, “If we wanna win big with teens, we must bring them in as tweens” as well as another document regarding how they sought to increase the number of 10-year-olds on Instagram.
“I think [Meta] should be more responsible about age, and they should certainly not hide the fact that we now very well know all of these effects, including the dopamine addiction, which is a real addiction,” social studies teacher Katharina Matro said. “We don’t want kids to get addicted to nicotine, so why are we giving them these devices that make them addicted too?”
According to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) of 1998, websites may not collect personal information from children under the age of 13 without parent approval. However, this does not mean that social media companies must enforce the age limit if users bypass them. In other words, the restrictions are very easy to manipulate and these companies are still profiting off of underage users.
“I think it’s really important to try to delay [getting social media] as much as possible because your brain is really continuing to develop,” WJ psychologist Kimberly McGonigle said. “If you delay it to 16 or even 18…you can be a little less vulnerable than maybe if you got it at 13. So that’s the thing that worries me, but I do feel like the earlier you get on social media, the more at risk you are for mental health [issues].”
The lawsuit asserts that social media platforms were the cause of KGM’s mental health problems. However, this is very difficult to prove as many additional factors can contribute to these issues. The role of parents within online regulation provides an additional area of uncertainty. Some argue that it is the parents’ responsibility to regulate what their children see on their devices. If children manage to acquire social media before 13, Meta claims, it is the parent’s fault, not theirs.
“I do think parents need to be tuned into it too, like if there are any protections that they can put on their end. It is hard because there’s a balance of allowing your child to have some privacy, but then also protecting them from things online,” McGonigle said. “So, there’s a fine line that you have to travel there, but ultimately the most important piece is the safety.”
If KGM wins this case, the chances of significant reforms could become more likely. It will presumably result in a class action lawsuit, meaning that all parallel pending cases will be settled as well. Possible regulations include higher age limits on social media platforms as well as increased privacy protections and parental controls.
This may upset part of the WJ population likely hooked on these sites as their scrolling might be interrupted and their default, passive hobby disrupted. Although many feel that this case is based solely on money, others feel optimistic that teens and tweens will have a safer online environment moving forward.
