Meta and Google found liable in landmark social media addiction trial
Meta and Google found liable in landmark social media addiction trial
A Los Angeles jury has delivered a historic verdict in a lawsuit brought by a 20-year-old woman against Meta and Google, marking a significant shift in corporate accountability for digital platform design. The decision holds that Meta, which operates Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, and Google, owner of YouTube, deliberately created addictive platforms that negatively impacted the plaintiff’s mental health during her childhood.
The woman, identified as Kaley, was awarded $3m (£2.2m) in damages, a sum that could influence numerous ongoing cases in US courts. While Meta contested the ruling, its legal team argued that the plaintiff’s struggles were not directly caused by Instagram usage. In a statement, the company expressed disagreement with the outcome, stating it is “reviewing its options.”
Kaley’s lawyers emphasized that the platforms were engineered to foster dependency, with Instagram’s features like infinite scroll intentionally designed to keep users engaged for extended periods. They linked Meta’s growth strategies to the retention of young users, who tend to stay on platforms longer. The jury assigned 70% responsibility to Meta and 30% to YouTube, with the latter paying a smaller share of the compensation.
Punitive damages, which could reach $30m under state law, are yet to be decided. The verdict in LA followed a similar ruling in New Mexico, where a jury found Meta accountable for exposing children to explicit content and predatory interactions through its platforms. During the trial, Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s CEO, cited the company’s policy of restricting users under 13, though internal documents showed young children were already accessing the services.
Kaley testified that she began using Instagram at nine and YouTube at six, encountering no age-based barriers. She described how her time on social media led to diminished family engagement and early symptoms of anxiety and depression, which were later diagnosed by a therapist. The platform also influenced her self-perception, as she frequently applied filters to alter her appearance, a habit that contributed to body dysmorphia.
During the trial, Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, dismissed 16-hour daily usage as evidence of addiction, calling it “problematic” rather than harmful. Kaley’s legal team argued that such features were part of a broader design to maximize user retention, with Meta prioritizing growth over youth well-being. This case may set a precedent for future litigation against tech giants, as another trial in California federal court is scheduled for June.