Meta and YouTube lose key battle in social media addiction trial

Meta and YouTube, owned by Google, have been found liable in a landmark social media addiction trial in the US. A Los Angeles jury handed a win to a young woman who sued the two companies over her childhood addiction to social media. Meta is the parent company of Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook.

The tech giants were deemed by jurors to have intentionally built addictive platforms that harmed the 20-year-old’s mental health and hooked young users without sufficient concern for their wellbeing. She was awarded US$6 million in damages, with Meta liable for US$4.2 million and Google for US$1.8 million.

While the amounts may be small for multibillion-dollar companies, the verdict could open the door for hundreds of similar cases to make their way through US courts. Both Meta and Google have said they disagree with the ruling and will appeal.

Based on international media reports, the plaintiff, identified as Kaley or by her initials KGM, testified that she became addicted to social media as a minor, worsening her mental health struggles. She began using the platforms at age six and was on them “all day long” as a child. By age 10, she had become depressed and engaged in self-harm, and by 13, her therapist diagnosed her with body dysmorphic disorder and social phobia, which she attributed to her use of Instagram and YouTube.

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Meta argued in its defence that her struggles stemmed from a turbulent home life, and that none of her therapists identified social media as the primary cause. Meanwhile, YouTube likened its platform to television and pointed to her declining usage over time.

After 40 hours of deliberation, jurors found both companies negligent in the design of their platforms and concluded they failed to adequately warn users about potential risks. However, they determined that Meta bore a larger share of responsibility, at about 70%, compared to Google’s 30%, reflected in the damages awarded.

TikTok and Snap were also named in the case initially but settled before the trial began, leaving Meta and YouTube as the remaining defendants.

Google spokesperson Jose Castañeda said the verdict misrepresents YouTube “which is a responsibly built streaming platform, not a social media site.” A Meta spokesperson added that teen mental health is “profoundly complex and cannot be linked to a single app.”

This marks the second verdict against Meta this week. In New Mexico, a jury found the company had harmed children’s mental health and safety in violation of state law, ordering it to pay US$375 million in civil penalties for misleading users about platform safety and enabling harm, including child sexual exploitation.

The trial is the first in a consolidated group of cases in California against Meta, TikTok, YouTube and Snap, involving more than 1,600 plaintiffs, including over 350 families and 250 school districts.

KGM’s case is also the first of more than 20 “bellwether” trials set to unfold over the next few years, which will help gauge jury sentiment and set legal precedent. The next bellwether case is scheduled for July, while a separate series of federal lawsuits involving hundreds of plaintiffs is set to go to trial in San Francisco in June.

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