A jury has found Meta and YouTube liable for designing platforms that caused harmful and addictive behavior among young users.
This first-of-its-kind verdict on March 25 could influence hundreds of similar lawsuits against social media companies.
The panel awarded $3 million in compensatory damages to the lead plaintiff, a 20-year-old woman identified in court filings as Kaley or “KGM.” She alleged that using YouTube and Instagram from ages 6 and 9, respectively, led to addictive habits that contributed to depression, body dysmorphia, and suicidal thoughts.
Jurors determined the companies were negligent in how they designed and operated their platforms, knowing the products could harm minors but failing to provide adequate warnings. They also concluded Meta and YouTube acted with malice, oppression, or fraud, opening the door for a second phase of the trial to consider punitive damages.
“Oftentimes, punitive damages will be vastly larger compared to the compensatory damages, and the plaintiff gets to keep those damages,” said Clay Calvert, a nonresident senior fellow of technology policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, CBS News reported.
The verdict followed more than 40 hours of deliberations over nine days in Los Angeles Superior Court. Although the decision was not unanimous, a majority of jurors voted to hold both companies liable. The trial featured testimony from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram head Adam Mosseri and drew comparisons to the 1990s lawsuits against the tobacco industry.
Meta issued a statement after the verdict. “We respectfully disagree with the verdict and are evaluating our legal options,” the company said, per CBS.
YouTube’s parent, Google, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The case, filed in 2023, centered on platform design features such as infinite scroll and algorithmic recommendations rather than third-party content. TikTok and Snap settled with the plaintiff before the trial began in late January.
Legal experts described the outcome as a potential bellwether for more than 1,600 other lawsuits filed by individuals, school districts, and states alleging harm from social media. The companies have long relied on Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act for protection, but this trial focused on product design rather than user-generated content.
The decision comes one day after a New Mexico jury found Meta liable for violating state child exploitation laws and ordered the company to pay $375 million in civil penalties.
The Los Angeles trial will now move to the punitive damages phase, where jurors will hear additional evidence before deciding whether to impose further penalties on the companies.
