Meta and Google have been found liable for building intentionally addictive social media services, in a trial that sets a strong precedent for hundreds of other lawsuits that are still pending.
On Wednesday, a jury in Los Angeles Superior Court finished its deliberations over a lawsuit between Meta and Google, and a young woman. The jury found that the tech giants were liable for enabling a woman identified as Kaley to become addicted to social media as a child.
The lawsuit commenced in January, while the jury deliberations started on March 13.
The ruling favored the plaintiff, who accused Meta and Google of being negligent in creating Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. The sites played a "substantial factor" in affecting her mental health.
The social media giants are liable to the tune of $3 million in compensatory damages, with Meta paying 70% while Google pays the remaining 30%. The trial continues to determine punitive damages, which could end up being much higher than the compensatory damages.
TikTok and Snap were also initially identified as defendants in the lawsuit, but they both settled before the trial for undisclosed amounts.
The jury of Kaley's peers "heard the evidence, heard what Meta and YouTube knew and when they knew it, and held them accountable for their conduct," lawyers for the young woman declared.
In contrast, a Meta spokesperson released a statement, "respectfully" disagreeing with the verdict and confirming the company was evaluating its legal options.
Young addiction
In her February 26 testimony, 20-year-old Kaley G.M. said she started to obsessively use YouTube from age 6, and Instagram from Age 9. Her use had a toll on her ability to sleep, harmed her social life, and led to school problems, Reuters reported at the time.
This led to suicidal thoughts and instances of cutting at the age 10, claimed to be a coping mechanism for dealing with depression.
Attempts by her mother to curtail the addiction by taking her phone away led to fits of rage and spikes of anxiety. It's now become so much of a problem that, as an adult, she still finds it too hard to be without access.
A former psychotherapist who treated Kaley for months at ages 13 and 14 testified that excessive social media usage was a "contributing factor" to Kaley's issues.
An encouraging platform
The plaintiffs hinged the argument on whether the design and functionality of the services and related apps were done in a way to encourage addiction.
Recommendation algorithms, automatic playing of videos, the never-ending feed of content, and other features were all designed to keep users on the platform, lawyers asserted. Elements such as the "Like" button fed into the need for validation of teenagers.
While there were elements encouraging users to stick around, YouTube also argued that there were systems in place that could've helped Kaley. Elements to protect against bullying comments and to limit how much time is spent on the platform were apparently not used properly, Google's subsidiary said.
More lawsuits oncoming
While failing to convince the court on this occasion is not great for Meta and Google, the legal woes are far from over. Several other trials are due to occur in 2026, all accusing tech companies of failing to protect users of their platforms.
On Tuesday, a New Mexico jury determined Meta had violated state unfair practices after failing to safeguard apps from online child predators. The damages in that case reached $375 million.
Other state attorneys general are also taking on Meta, TikTok, and others in similar legal cases.
So far, Apple has been excluded from the fray. However, with Apple facing more pressure over age checks, the risk of becoming another plaintiff is becoming even greater for the iPhone maker.
