Meta and YouTube found liable in landmark social media addiction trial
Meta and YouTube Found Liable in Landmark Social Media Addiction Trial
A jury in Los Angeles has delivered a historic ruling in favor of a young woman who claimed Meta and YouTube contributed to her childhood struggle with social media dependency. The decision, which awarded Kaley $6m (£4.5m) in compensation, marks a significant moment in legal battles against tech giants. Jurors concluded that Meta, the parent company of Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, and Google, which owns YouTube, intentionally created addictive platforms that negatively impacted Kaley’s mental health.
Meta and Google have both announced plans to challenge the verdict. A Meta representative stated, “Teen mental health is a multifaceted issue and cannot be attributed to a single app. We will persist in defending our position as each case presents unique circumstances, and we remain assured of our efforts to safeguard youth online.” A Google spokesperson added, “This case misrepresents YouTube, which is a responsibly designed streaming service, not a social media platform.”
Kaley was granted $3m in compensatory damages and $3m in punitive awards, based on the jury’s determination that Meta and Google “operated with malice, oppression, or fraud.” The split of responsibility places 70% of the financial burden on Meta and 30% on Google. Parents of other children, who had not joined Kaley’s lawsuit but claimed similar harm, gathered outside the courthouse on Wednesday, echoing their presence throughout the five-week trial.
The LA ruling followed a similar verdict in New Mexico, where jurors held Meta accountable for exposing children to explicit content and sexual predators through its platforms. Mike Proulx, a research director at Forrester, noted that these consecutive decisions signal a “breaking point” between social media companies and the public. In recent months, nations like Australia have introduced measures to curb children’s screen time, while the UK tests a ban on social media for under-16s.
During his testimony in February, Mark Zuckerberg emphasized Meta’s policy of restricting users under 13. However, the jury was presented with internal documents revealing that Meta was aware young children were accessing its platforms. Zuckerberg acknowledged the need for faster progress in identifying younger users but claimed the company had reached the “right place over time.”
The trial centered on Instagram and Meta, with Google’s YouTube also facing scrutiny. Snap and TikTok, which were initially named as defendants, reached undisclosed settlements with Kaley before the proceedings began. Kaley’s legal team argued that Instagram’s features, such as infinite scroll, were designed to trap users in cycles of engagement. They contended that Meta’s growth strategies prioritized young users, leading to psychological harm.
Kaley testified that she began using Instagram at age nine and YouTube at six, encountering no age-based restrictions. She described how her time on social media replaced interactions with family, leading to feelings of anxiety and depression by age 10. These symptoms later developed into a diagnosis of body dysmorphia, a condition marked by excessive concern over physical appearance. Kaley claimed Instagram’s filters, which altered her features, intensified her self-perception issues.
