US Jury Finds Meta Platforms, Google Liable for Negligence in Social Media Addiction Case

By Luke Matthias

A Los Angeles jury has ruled in favour of a young woman who sued Meta Platforms and YouTube over claims that their social media platforms harmed her mental health during childhood.

According to BBC, jurors concluded that the companies intentionally designed addictive platforms that negatively affected the plaintiff, a 20-year-old woman identified only as Kaley. The jury found Meta 70%  responsible for her harm, while YouTube was assigned 30% of the blame. The decision is expected to influence hundreds of similar lawsuits currently before courts in the United States.

Lawyers for Meta argued that Kaley’s struggles were not caused by Instagram, which the company owns alongside Facebook and WhatsApp. However, after a five-week trial, jurors sided with the plaintiff. In a statement reported by BBC, Meta said, “We respectfully disagree with the verdict and are evaluating our legal options.”

During the trial, senior executives were called to testify about platform design and user safety. CNN reported that Meta Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg, Instagram head Adam Mosseri, and YouTube Vice President of Engineering Cristos Goodrow appeared in court.

Zuckerberg acknowledged that children under 13 had used Meta’s platforms despite company policy, saying he “always wished” for faster progress in identifying underage users, but insisted the company had reached the “right place over time,” according to CNN.

Mosseri testified that social media use can be “problematic” but not “clinically addictive.” Goodrow, meanwhile, noted that his own children use YouTube for hours daily and he believes it is “good” for them, CNN reported. Internal documents presented in court also revealed Meta’s decision to allow “beauty” filters that alter appearance, despite warnings from employees and experts that they could be harmful.

CNN also reported that the jury found Meta and YouTube negligent in the design of their platforms, ruling that they knew the risks, failed to warn users, and caused substantial harm. The companies were ordered to pay three million dollars in compensatory damages, while punitive damages are yet to be determined.

Kaley and her mother had originally sued Meta, YouTube, Snap, and TikTok. Snap and TikTok settled before the trial. Kaley testified that her addiction continues to affect her adult life, compelling her to sneak out of work to scroll and spend hours using filters to alter her appearance, according to CNN.

Meta maintained that Kaley’s mental health challenges stemmed from her difficult childhood, not social media. YouTube argued that her account records showed limited daily use, but her lawyer countered that she often used the platform without logging in.

Observers say the decision could mark a turning point in debates over online safety. James Steyer, Chief Executive Officer of Common Sense Media, told CNN, “Social media giants would never have faced trial if they had prioritized kids’ safety over engagement. Instead, they buried their own research showing children were being harmed, and used kids and society as guinea pigs in massive, uncontrolled, and wildly profitable experiments. Now, executives are being held to account.”