A Los Angeles County Superior Court jury has ruled that Meta and YouTube were negligent in a pioneering lawsuit over social media addiction, marking a significant legal setback for the tech giants.
The case, brought by plaintiff K.G.M., known as Kaley a 20-year-old woman alleged that addictive features on Instagram and YouTube, including infinite scrolls, autoplay, and notifications, worsened her mental health during childhood. After more than 40 hours of deliberation over nine days, the jury determined the companies knew their platforms posed risks to minors but failed to provide adequate warnings.
The verdict assigns 70% responsibility to Meta, liable for $2.1 million in compensatory damages, and 30% to YouTube’s parent Google, owing $900,000. Finding malice, the jury added $3 million in punitive damages, bringing the total to $6 million. Both companies intend to appeal, contending the ruling misinterprets their platforms’ role in teen mental health challenges.
This bellwether trial is the first outcome among over 1,600 similar cases from families and school districts. It sidesteps Section 230 protections by targeting product design flaws rather than user-generated content. The decision echoes a recent New Mexico ruling fining Meta $375 million for child safety lapses.
Legal experts view the outcome as a potential harbinger for broader accountability in social media’s impact on youth, amid intensifying scrutiny of addictive algorithms.
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