Photo: UNN
Meta and YouTube have been found liable in a U.S. court in a case concerning social media addiction, with campaigners welcoming the verdict as a landmark legal defeat for the companies, according to the BBC.
Parents and campaigners seeking stricter regulation of social media praised the jury’s decision in Los Angeles, which marked a significant victory for a young woman who sued Meta and YouTube over her childhood addiction to social media.
The jury found that Meta, which owns Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, and Google, the owner of YouTube, “intentionally designed addictive social media platforms that harmed the mental health of a 20-year-old woman named Kaylee,” according to the report.
Kaylee was awarded $6 million in damages, a ruling that could influence hundreds of similar cases currently being considered in U.S. courts.
Meta and Google said they disagree with the verdict and plan to appeal. Meta stated that teen mental health is “extremely complex and cannot be linked to a single app,” adding that it will continue to defend itself. Google argued that YouTube is a streaming platform, not a social network.
The jury ruled that Kaylee should receive $3 million in compensatory damages and $3 million in punitive damages, finding that Meta and Google acted with “malice, oppression, or fraud” in how they managed their platforms.
Meta is expected to cover 70% of the compensation, while Google will cover the remaining 30%.
Parents of other children affected by social media also gathered outside the courthouse and celebrated the verdict, calling it a breakthrough moment.
The case is seen as part of a broader shift in legal scrutiny of social media companies, with further trials expected in the U.S. later this year.
