Jurors are having trouble coming to a conclusion in a landmark trial alleging that top social media sites are addictive by design.

A 20-year-old woman, who remains anonymous, opened a case against top social media companies, alleging that their design got her addicted to their platforms, adversely affecting her mental health. The lawsuit, which spans more than the lead plaintiff, targets Google’s YouTube and Meta’s Facebook and Instagram.

The lead plaintiff, known as KGM, alleges that she was addicted to YouTube by age six, and addicted to Facebook by age nine.

The case alleges that these firms have made their products purposefully addictive to fuel their usership and revenue.

Now, jurors have said that they are struggling to conclude if one of the companies involved is at fault, but the court has not revealed which company they are questioning. The presiding judge has urged the jury to make a decision if it can, otherwise the case will face a new trial with a new jury.

In the court case, KGM alleges that her dependency on social media, as well as certain features like beauty filters, contributed to her anxiety and depression, leading her to self harm.

The trial is just the first of many brought up against social media titans – Meta, YouTube, TikTok, and Snap – alleging that these platforms were addictive by design and were aware of their negative affect on children’s mental health.

Features the lawsuit claims are addictive include infinite scroll and video autoplay, with lawyers claiming that ‘like’ buttons on social media can cause teens to use the social platforms for validation.

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Prior to reaching court, TikTok and Snap were also named in the lawsuit, but were able to reach a settlement with the plaintiff.

The jury has been deliberating for over a week, with the court case having the potential to influence thousands of other cases concerning the design of social media sites and their impact on children and adults.