A landmark trial beginning this week in Los Angeles could establish a legal precedent on whether social media companies deliberately design their platforms to addict children.

Jury selection is set to start in California state court on Tuesday in what is being called a ¡°bellwether¡± proceeding, because its outcome could set the tone for a tidal wave of similar litigation across the United States.

Defendants in the suit are Alphabet, ByteDance and Meta, the technology titans behind YouTube, TikTok and Instagram.