Jury Finds YouTube, Instagram Liable In Social Media Addiction Trial

A jury found both Meta and YouTube liable in a first-of-its-kind lawsuit that aimed to hold social media platforms responsible for harm to children using their services, awarding the petitioner $3 million in damages. After more than 40 hours of deliberation across nine days, California jurors decided Meta and YouTube were negligent in the design or operation of their platforms. The jury also decided each company's negligence was a substantial factor in causing harm to the petitioner, a 20-year-old woman who says her use of social media as a child addicted her to the technology and exacerbated her mental health struggles. The multimillion-dollar verdict will grow, as the jury decided the companies acted with malice, or highly egregious conduct, meaning they will hear new evidence shortly and head back into the deliberation room to decide on punitive damages. Meta and Google-owned YouTube were the two remaining defendants in the case after TikTok and Snap each settled before the trial began.