Meta and Google found liable in social media addiction trial

A Los Angeles jury has handed down an unprecedented win for a young woman who sued Meta and YouTube over her childhood addiction to social media. Jurors found that Meta, which owns Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, and Google, owner of YouTube, intentionally built addictive social media platforms that harmed the 20-year old's mental health. The woman, known as Kaley, was awarded $3m in a result that is likely to have implications for hundreds of similar cases now winding their way through US courts. Lawyers for Meta argued that while Kaley had suffered in her life, her use of Instagram did not cause or meaningfully contribute to those struggles. In a statement, Meta said: "We respectfully disagree with the verdict and are evaluating our legal options." Jurors found Meta to be 70% responsible for the plaintiff's harm and YouTube was responsible for 30% of the total. Punitive damages are still to be determined, which could reach up to $30m. The LA verdict came a day after a jury in New Mexico found Meta liable for the way in which its platforms endangered children. Mike Proulx, a research director for Forrester, said the back-to-back verdicts underline a "breaking point" between social media companies and the public. During his appearance before the jury in February, Mark Zuckerberg relied on his company's longstanding policy of not allowing users under the age of 13. When presented with internal research showing Meta knew young children were using its platforms, Zuckerberg said he "always wished" for faster progress. Kaley's lawyers argued that Meta and YouTube had built "addiction machines." Kaley said she started using Instagram aged nine and YouTube aged six. She was later diagnosed with anxiety, depression, and body dysmorphia. Her lawyers argued that features like infinite scroll were designed to be addictive to meet growth goals. Another case against Meta is poised to begin in June in California federal court.