Meta has disagreed with the verdict, and its lawyers are reviewing possible legal options, a company spokesperson said.
A Los Angeles jury on Wednesday ordered Alphabet’s Google and Meta to pay $3 million in damages in a landmark social media addiction case that could impact thousands of similar lawsuits.
Punitive damages against the companies will be determined in the next phase. Judge Carolyn Kuhl told the court that jurors may assess whether the products from Google or Meta caused physical harm to the plaintiff or if the companies ignored risks to users’ health.
The case centers on a 20-year-old woman who said she developed an addiction at a young age to Google’s YouTube and Meta’s Instagram due to their highly engaging design. The jury concluded that both companies were negligent in how the platforms were designed and failed to adequately warn users of potential harms.
“Today’s verdict sends a powerful message — from a jury to the entire industry — that accountability has arrived,” the plaintiff’s lead lawyer said in a statement.
Following the decision, shares of Meta rose about 1%, while Alphabet Inc. saw a modest increase of 0.2%, indicating limited market reaction.
Meta said it disagrees with the ruling and that its legal team is reviewing possible next steps, according to a spokesperson. Google, meanwhile, confirmed it plans to appeal, spokesperson José Castañeda said.
In the Los Angeles case, plaintiffs focused on platform design rather than content, a strategy that made it more difficult for the companies to avoid liability.
Snap Inc. and TikTok were also named as defendants but reached settlements with the plaintiff before the trial began. The terms of those agreements were not disclosed.
Mounting criticism
Major US tech companies have faced growing scrutiny over the past decade regarding the safety of children and teenagers online. The debate has increasingly shifted to courts and state governments, as the United States Congress has yet to pass comprehensive regulations governing social media.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, at least 20 states enacted laws last year addressing children’s use of social media.
These measures include restrictions on cellphone use in schools and requirements for users to verify their age before creating social media accounts. Meanwhile, NetChoice — a trade group backed by companies like Meta and Google — is challenging age verification laws in court.
A separate social media addiction lawsuit filed by multiple states and school districts against tech companies is set to go to trial this summer in federal court in Oakland, California.
Another state-level trial is scheduled to begin in Los Angeles in July, according to Matthew Bergman, one of the lead attorneys for the plaintiffs. The case will involve Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Snapchat.
In a separate development, a New Mexico jury on Tuesday found Meta Platforms in violation of state law in a lawsuit brought by the state’s attorney general, who alleged the company misled users about the safety of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, and enabled child sexual exploitation on its platforms.
About the Author
