Mar. 11, 2026
Defense expert says plaintiff used social media as coping tool
A defense psychiatric expert testified plaintiff's mental health issues stemmed from trauma and genetics, not social media addiction, as plaintiff's counsel challenged the doctor's qualifications and $1,000-per-hour consulting fee.
A psychiatric expert hired by Meta and Google testified Tuesday that the plaintiff in the first bellwether social media addiction trial used Instagram and YouTube as a coping mechanism rather than developing an addiction and likely would have gone through the same mental health struggles without the platforms.
However, the doctor's testimony and credibility were sharply challenged by the plaintiff's attorney, who questioned her qualifications to offer addiction opinions, h...
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