A jury in Los Angeles has found Meta and YouTube liable for deliberately designing addictive products that harmed a young user, awarding $6 million in damages. The verdict, reached after nearly nine days of deliberations, holds Meta responsible for 70% of the damages and YouTube for the remainder. The case is the first of its kind to go to trial over social media’s alleged harm to young people.
The plaintiff, identified by the initials KGM, testified that she became addicted to YouTube at age six and Instagram at nine, leading to depression, self-harm, and strained relationships. By age 13, she was diagnosed with body dysmorphic disorder and social phobia, which she attributes to her social media use. Her lawyer, Mark Lanier, argued that features like infinite scroll and autoplay were engineered to keep children hooked, likening the platforms to 'Trojan horses.'
The jury found the companies negligent and failing to provide adequate warnings about the dangers of their products. The 12-person panel voted 10-2 in favour of the plaintiff on every question. The verdict comes a day after Meta was ordered to pay $375 million in civil penalties in a separate New Mexico case over child sexual exploitation.
Meta and YouTube have both said they will appeal. A Meta spokesperson stated that teen mental health is 'profoundly complex' and cannot be linked to a single app, while a YouTube spokesperson called the platform 'a responsibly built streaming platform, not a social media site.' The plaintiffs’ lawyers described the verdict as a 'historic moment' for children and families affected by social media addiction.
