California jury finds Meta, YouTube liable in landmark social media addiction trial

A California jury on Wednesday found Meta and YouTube liable in a landmark social media addiction trial, concluding that the companies were negligent in their design and operation of the platforms.

The jury in the Los Angeles Superior Court determined $3 million in damages, with Meta expected to pay 70% and YouTube 30% of that amount, The Hill reported.

The decision ends the nearly two-month trial against Meta, the parent company of Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, and Google’s YouTube, and is one of the first high-profile trials regarding children's online safety. TikTok and Snap, the parent company of Snapchat, were also defendants, but they both settled before the trial began in January. 

The case was part of a consolidation of thousands of lawsuits brought by individuals, school districts, and states against the social media companies. There is also an ongoing, separate federal case.

The lawsuit stemmed from a complaint filed by K.G.M., a 20-year-old who started using social media as a child and claimed that she became addicted to the platforms. K.G.M.'s lawyers told the court that this resulted in or worsened her depression, anxiety, body dysmorphia, and suicidality.

On Tuesday, a New Mexico grand jury found Meta liable for compromising children’s safety online in a separate lawsuit. Meta was ordered to pay $375 million in damages for violating the state’s Unfair Practices Act, which prohibits unfair, deceptive, and misleading business ventures across New Mexico.