Meta and Google Held Liable in Groundbreaking Social Media Addiction Case
In a landmark legal decision, tech giants Meta and Google have been found liable for negligence in a social media addiction trial, with the plaintiff awarded $3 million in damages. After more than 40 hours of deliberation across nine days, a California jury concluded that the companies failed in their duty of care regarding platform design and operation.
Jury Finds Negligence a Substantial Factor in Harm
The jury determined that each company's negligence was a substantial factor in causing harm to the plaintiff, a 20-year-old woman identified as KGM in court documents. Her legal team referred to her as Kaley during proceedings. She testified that her childhood use of social media led to addiction and worsened her mental health struggles.
This multimillion-dollar verdict is set to increase, as jurors found the companies acted with malice or highly egregious conduct. This finding means the court will soon hear new evidence before returning to deliberations to decide on punitive damages, potentially significantly raising the total award.
Platform Usage from Early Childhood
Kaley told the court she began using YouTube at age 6 and Instagram at age 9, describing being on social media 'all day long' as a child. Her testimony highlighted how prolonged exposure during formative years contributed to her addiction and mental health deterioration.
Trial Proceedings and Testimony
Jurors listened to approximately one month of arguments, testimony, and evidence from lawyers. The plaintiff herself testified, along with Meta leaders Mark Zuckerberg and Adam Mosseri. Notably, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan was not called to testify during the trial.
Meta and Google-owned YouTube were the two remaining defendants in this case after TikTok and Snap each settled before the trial began, avoiding courtroom proceedings.
This is a developing story. Further updates will follow as the punitive damages phase proceeds.
