Meta and Alphabet’s Google have been found negligent by a Los Angeles jury over claims their social media platforms harmed young users, in a $6 million damages verdict seen as a test case for thousands of similar lawsuits.
The jury awarded $4.2 million in damages against Meta and $1.8 million against Google, relatively small penalties for two of the world’s most valuable technology companies.
The case centred on a 20 year old woman, identified in court only as Kaley, who said she became addicted to YouTube and Instagram as a minor due to design features such as infinite scrolling that encouraged prolonged engagement.
Jurors concluded that both companies were negligent in the design of their applications and failed to adequately warn users about potential risks.
“Today’s verdict is a referendum — from a jury, to an entire industry — that accountability has arrived,” the plaintiff’s lead counsel said in a statement.
Spokespeople for Meta and Google said both companies disagreed with the ruling and planned to appeal.
Legal analysts say the outcome could shape the direction of thousands of similar claims consolidated in California state courts, as well as influence ongoing debates over child safety and regulation in the technology sector.
Gil Luria, a technology analyst at investment firm D A Davidson, described the decision as a “setback” for the companies.
“This process will likely get dragged out through future cases and appeals, but eventually may cause these companies to put in consumer safeguards that may dampen growth,” he said.
Snap and TikTok were also named as defendants but reached settlements with the plaintiff before the trial began. Terms of those agreements were not disclosed.
The verdict comes as scrutiny of technology firms intensifies across the US, with at least 20 states introducing laws last year addressing social media use by children.
Some measures include restrictions on mobile phone use in schools and mandatory age verification for social media accounts. Industry backed trade association NetChoice is challenging certain age verification requirements in court.
US senators Marsha Blackburn and Richard Blumenthal have renewed calls for federal legislation requiring companies to design platforms with stronger protections for minors.
Meanwhile, additional social media addiction lawsuits filed by several states and school districts are expected to proceed to trial later this year in federal court in Oakland, California, with another state level case scheduled in Los Angeles in July.
In a separate ruling this week, a New Mexico jury found Meta violated state law in a lawsuit accusing the company of misleading users about the safety of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp and enabling child exploitation.
During the Los Angeles proceedings, internal company documents were presented to jurors outlining strategies aimed at attracting younger users. Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg also testified, defending certain design decisions.
“I felt like the evidence wasn’t clear enough to support limiting people’s expression,” Zuckerberg said, referring to the company’s decision to lift a temporary ban on beauty filters some staff warned could negatively affect teenage girls.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
