A jury in Los Angeles has found Meta and YouTube liable for designing addictive products that harmed a young user, awarding $6m in damages. Meta will pay 70% and YouTube the remainder. The verdict, reached after nine days of deliberation, marks the first trial of its kind over social media's alleged harm to young people.
The plaintiff, identified as KGM, testified that she became addicted to YouTube at age six and Instagram at nine, leading to depression, self-harm, and strained relationships. Her lawyer argued that features like infinite scroll and autoplay were engineered to keep children hooked, comparing them to Trojan horses.
The jury found both companies negligent and failing to provide adequate warnings. The 12-person panel returned a 10-2 split in favour of the plaintiff on all questions. The verdict comes a day after Meta was ordered to pay $375m in a separate New Mexico case over child safety.
Meta and YouTube plan to appeal. A Meta spokesperson said teen mental health is complex and cannot be linked to a single app. YouTube argued it is a responsibly built streaming platform, not a social media site. Both companies have consistently denied wrongdoing.
