Meta and YouTube found liable in landmark social media addiction trial
Meta and YouTube found liable in landmark social media addiction trial
A Los Angeles jury delivered a groundbreaking verdict in a lawsuit where a young woman claimed Meta and YouTube caused her childhood social media addiction. The 20-year-old plaintiff, known as Kaley, was awarded $6 million in damages, setting a precedent for similar cases in the U.S. legal system. The jury determined that Meta, which operates Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, and Google, owner of YouTube, intentionally designed addictive platforms that worsened Kaley’s mental health.
Verdict and Damages
Kaley received $3 million in compensatory damages and an additional $3 million in punitive compensation, as the jury concluded the companies “acted with malice, oppression, or fraud” in their platform operations. Meta will bear 70% of the award, while Google covers the remaining 30%. The decision could influence hundreds of ongoing cases against tech giants.
Company Responses
Meta and Google separately contested the ruling. Meta emphasized that “teen mental health is complex and cannot be attributed to a single app,” stating it would challenge the verdict. A Google spokesperson argued that YouTube is a “responsibly built streaming platform,” not a social media site, and claimed the case misunderstood its role. Both companies plan to appeal the decision.
Parents’ Reactions
Parents of children not involved in Kaley’s lawsuit gathered outside the courthouse, celebrating the verdict. This marked the fifth week of the trial, with supporters like Amy Neville hugging fellow advocates after the ruling. The LA decision came a day after a New Mexico jury held Meta accountable for exposing children to explicit content and predators through its platforms.
Mike Proulx, a research director at Forrester, highlighted the significance of the back-to-back rulings, calling them a “breaking point” between social media companies and the public. He noted that public frustration with these platforms has been growing for years, culminating in widespread legal action.
Testimony and Evidence
During February’s trial, Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s CEO, cited the company’s policy of restricting users under 13. However, internal documents revealed Meta was aware young children were using its platforms. Zuckerberg admitted he “always wished” for faster age verification but insisted the company had “reached the right place over time.”
Kaley began using Instagram at age nine and YouTube at six, encountering no age-based barriers. She described how social media replaced family time, leading to anxiety and depression by age 10. Diagnosed later with body dysmorphia, she recalled using filters to alter her appearance, making her nose smaller and eyes larger. Her lawyers argued that features like infinite scroll were engineered to create “addiction machines,” neglecting children’s well-being.
Other defendants, including Snap and TikTok, settled with Kaley before trial. The case now underscores global efforts to regulate social media, with Australia imposing usage limits for minors and the UK testing a ban for those under 16.
“Negative sentiment toward social media has been building for years, and now it’s finally boiled over,” Proulx stated.
