A Los Angeles jury has found Meta and Google’s YouTube responsible for causing social media addiction in a young user. The case, K.G.M. v. Meta et al., focused on features like infinite scrolling and personalized recommendation feeds, which the jury said contributed to compulsive use and mental health issues, including depression and anxiety. Meta was assigned a larger share of responsibility, with Google also held liable, and the jury awarded around $3 million in damages. This is one of the first US rulings holding major social media companies accountable for addictive platform design.
The plaintiff, a 20-year-old woman, testified that she began using YouTube as a child and Instagram at an early age. She claimed that the companies’ engagement-maximizing algorithms made it difficult for her to limit her use, ultimately affecting her daily life, academic performance, and mental health. Court documents revealed that both companies were aware their platforms could be addictive and potentially harmful to mental health, but executives continued optimizing features to boost engagement and profits. Metrics tracking user time confirmed these risks, yet effective safeguards were not put in place.
The jury deliberated for over 40 hours across nine days before reaching the verdict. They found that the negligence of both Meta and Google was a substantial factor in causing the plaintiff’s psychological harm. Meta received a larger proportion of liability, while Google’s YouTube was also held accountable for similar design choices that encourage prolonged viewing. The jury awarded the plaintiff $3 million in compensatory damages, assigning 70% of the responsibility to Meta, amounting to about $2.1 million, while Google’s YouTube was held responsible for the remaining 30%, or around $900,000.
The trial is not yet concluded, as the next phase will focus on punitive damages, where the jury will decide whether the companies’ actions were serious enough to deserve extra financial penalties meant to punish them and prevent similar negligence in the future. Other social media companies, including Snap and TikTok, were originally named in the lawsuit but reached confidential settlements prior to the trial.
Most importantly, this case is expected to have far-reaching implications. Notably, thousands of similar lawsuits are already pending across the country, filed by parents, school districts, and state attorneys general. And since the jury found elements of malice in the companies’ conduct, future proceedings in pending cases could result in additional financial penalties, potentially increasing their overall liability. Meanwhile, the latest setback becomes even more critical for Meta, as in a separate New Mexico case, the company was ordered to pay $375 million in civil penalties after a jury found that it had misled users about platform safety and enabled the online exploitation of minors.
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