A Los Angeles jury on Wednesday found Meta and Alphabet’s Google negligent for designing social media platforms deemed harmful to young users, awarding $6 million in damages in a case expected to serve as a test for thousands of similar lawsuits.
The jury assigned $4.2 million in damages to Meta and $1.8 million to Google—relatively small sums for companies with annual capital spending exceeding $100 billion. The case is one of many consolidated in California courts addressing the impact of social media on youth.
The lawsuit was brought by a 20-year-old woman, identified in court as Kaley, who said she became addicted to platforms such as YouTube and Instagram at a young age due to features like infinite scrolling designed to keep users engaged. Jurors concluded that both companies were negligent in their platform design and failed to adequately warn users of potential risks.
Lawyers for the plaintiff described the ruling as a signal of growing accountability for the tech industry, while both companies said they disagreed with the decision and intend to appeal.
Although U.S. law generally shields social media firms from liability over user content, the case focused on platform design rather than what users post. Analysts said the verdict could push companies to introduce stronger consumer safeguards, potentially affecting growth over time.
Other platforms, including Snap and TikTok, were initially part of the case but reached settlements before the trial began.
The ruling comes amid increasing scrutiny of child safety on social media. While U.S. Congress has yet to pass comprehensive regulations, several states have introduced laws addressing issues such as age verification and device use in schools. Lawmakers are now urging federal action to ensure platforms are designed with children’s safety in mind.
More legal challenges are on the horizon, with additional trials involving major tech companies expected later this year.
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