Internal documents revealed as part of the child safety lawsuit indicate Google’s plans to “engage kids” in its ecosystem by investing in schools. In this November 2020 presentation, Google writes that bringing kids into its ecosystem “increases brand trust and loyalty across their lifetime,” as NBC News previously reported.
The heavily-redacted documents, revealed earlier this week, are attached to a massive lawsuit filed by multiple school districts, families and state attorneys general, accusing Google, Meta, ByteDance and Snap of creating “addictive and dangerous” products that have harmed the mental health of young users. (The snap settled earlier this week).
Google has spent more than a decade investing in products built for education, positioning Chromebooks as a staple in the classroom. The 2020 document also included a study on how laptop brands used in schools “influence purchasing patterns”.
Another slide in the presentation highlights a story from 2017 the new York TimesA quote in bold says Google is part of the fight to “engage students as future customers.” This quote appears several times in the presentation: “If you get someone on your operating system quickly, you get that loyalty quickly, and possibly for life.” The document also suggests that YouTube in schools could create “a pipeline of future users and creators.”
Additionally, other slides discussed some of the challenges associated with bringing YouTube to schools, including how the platform is “often blocked” and how “efforts to make YouTube safe for schools have not yet worked.” The documents also acknowledge the potential impact of YouTube on mental health, with a 2024 presentation showing a slide stating that “Many people regret time wasted when they unknowingly ‘went down the rabbit hole,'” or that YouTube “‘distracted’ them from work or even going to bed on time.”
In a statement emailed to The VergeGoogle spokesman Jack Malone says the documents “mischaracterize” the company’s work. “YouTube does not market directly to schools and we responded to meet the strong demand from teachers for high-quality, curriculum-aligned content,” says Malone. “Administrators maintain full control over use of the platform and YouTube requires schools to obtain parental consent before providing access to YouTube to students under 18.”
Jury selection for the social media addiction trial will begin on January 27, 2026.
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