LOS ANGELES — A jury found Meta and YouTube negligent in the design or operation of their social media platforms, producing a bellwether verdict in the first lawsuit to take tech giants to trial for social media addiction.
The Los Angeles County Superior Court jury said that Meta's and YouTube's negligence were a substantial factor in causing harm to the plaintiff, identified in court by her initials, K.G.M., and that the companies failed to adequately warn users of the dangers of Instagram (Meta's platform) and YouTube (which is owned by Google).
It awarded K.G.M. $3 million in compensatory damages, finding Meta 70% responsible for harm caused to the now 20-year-old plaintiff, and YouTube responsible for 30%.
The trial, which began last month in a Los Angeles County courtroom and included testimony from Mark Zuckerberg and other tech executives, was the first in a consolidated group of cases brought against Meta and other companies by more than 1,600 plaintiffs, including over 350 families and over 250 school districts.
Outside the courtroom, families who say their children were harmed by social media embraced as they celebrated the verdict, telling reporters they feel "vindicated."
Spokespeople for Meta and Google said the companies disagree with the verdict and plan to appeal.
"Teen mental health is profoundly complex and cannot be linked to a single app," a Meta spokesperson said. "We will continue to defend ourselves vigorously as every case is different, and we remain confident in our record of protecting teens online."
José Castañeda, a spokesperson for Google, also said the case "misunderstands YouTube, which is a responsibly built streaming platform, not a social media site."
In a joint statement, co-lead counsel for K.G.M. said the verdict is “a historic moment” for thousands of children and their families.
“But this verdict is bigger than one case,” the lawyers said. “For years, social media companies have profited from targeting children while concealing their addictive and dangerous design features. Today’s verdict is a referendum — from a jury, to an entire industry — that accountability has arrived.”
The jury decided on $2.1 million in punitive damages for Meta and $900,000 for YouTube, totaling $3 million. It's a small fraction of the $1 billion in punitive damages the plaintiff's counsel sought.
K.G.M.’s lead attorney, Mark Lanier, has said he hopes the proceedings produce transparency and accountability “so that the public can see that these companies have been orchestrating an addiction crisis in our country and, actually, the world.”
The plaintiff was a minor at the time of the incidents outlined in her lawsuit. K.G.M. testified in court that her nearly nonstop use of social media caused or contributed to depression, anxiety and body dysmorphia. It “really affected my self-worth,” she said last month.
Speaking about her social media use, K.G.M. testified that she felt she wanted to constantly be on the platforms and feared missing out if she wasn't.
Attorneys for Meta and YouTube have disputed claims brought by the plaintiff, arguing their platforms aren’t purposefully harmful and addictive.
A spokesperson for Meta said K.G.M.’s “profound challenges” weren’t caused by social media and pointed to "significant emotional and physical abuse" that she experienced when she was younger.
In his closing argument, an attorney for YouTube said there wasn’t a single mention of addiction to that platform in K.G.M.’s medical records.
The verdict comes after jurors in a separate trial in New Mexico held Meta liable for failing to protect children from online predators and sexual exploitation on Facebook and Instagram.
