A lawsuit is underway in the US against social media platforms that could change the way they operate in the future.

The landmark case, filed in a Los Angeles high court, accuses social media companies of intentionally making their platforms addictive, much like tobacco and cigarettes were in the 1980s.

The companies face 22 bellwether lawsuits.

Arguments for the first trial are set to begin on Monday, with Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg and other tech company executives expected to testify.

In recent years, people have tried to take Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and Snapchat to court for online harm, but they have failed.

The social media companies’ defense in this process has relied on Section 230 of the US Communications Act, which protects online platforms because they publish third-party content.

According to the section, platforms are not responsible for content posted by users.