Social media addiction trial: Meta and YouTube found liable

A California jury has deemed Meta and YouTube guilty on all counts in a landmark case that accused the tech giants of deliberately addicting a young woman and harming her mental health.

Meta and YouTube were negligent in the design of their platforms, knew their design was dangerous, failed to warn of those risks and caused substantial harm to the plaintiff, the jury found, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.

The decision could set a precedent for hundreds of similar cases and lead to major changes to how social media platforms operate, especially for young users — as well as millions, even billions, in losses for the tech companies.

The case also marks a watershed moment for social media, following years of concerns from parents, advocates and lawmakers about online harms to children ranging from mental health concerns to sexual exploitation.

A now 20-year-old California woman named Kaley and her mother sued Meta, Google’s YouTube, Snap and TikTok, accusing them of intentionally hooking her as a child and causing her to develop anxiety, body dysmorphia and suicidal thoughts. Snap and TikTok settled the case before trial.

The jury deliberated for more than eight days after a seven-week trial in Los Angeles Superior Court. They ordered the companies to pay a total of $3 million in compensatory damages. The jurors will soon deliberate on whether and how much should additionally be awarded in punitive damages, based on the net worth of each company.

Meta bears 70% of the responsibility for the Kaley’s harms and YouTube 30%, jurors found.

Kaley was in the courtroom to hear the decision, along with parents of other teens who they say were harmed by social media.

A Meta spokesperson said the company would consider its options now. “We respectfully disagree with the verdict and are evaluating our legal options,” the spokesperson said.

Google said they would apeal the verdict.

“We disagree with the verdict and plan to appeal,” José Castañeda, a Google spokesperson, said in a statement. “This case misunderstands YouTube, which is a responsibly built streaming platform, not a social media site.”

News.Az 

By Ulviyya Salmanli