Meta and Google lose landmark case over social media harm to kids

A Los Angeles jury on Wednesday found Meta and Google negligent for designing addictive apps and for failing to warn of their associated dangers, and liable for harm caused to a young user. The landmark verdict could pave the way for numerous lawsuits against social media companies on similar grounds.

The plaintiff, a now-20-year-old woman identified as K.G.M. or Kaley, was awarded $4.2 million in damages from Meta and $1.8 million from Google.

Kaley said she became addicted to YouTube and Instagram as a minor, citing attention-grabbing features such as infinite scroll and algorithmic recommendations. She sued Google and Meta for personal injury, blaming the apps engineered by the two companies for leading to depression and suicidal thoughts.

"Today's ⁠verdict is a referendum – from a jury, to an entire industry – that accountability has arrived," her legal team said in a statement.

Meta and Google both disagree with the ruling and plan to appeal, according to spokespeople from the two companies.

The trial, which began in February and involved testimony from tech executives, including Mark Zuckerberg, was a test case for thousands of similar consolidated cases brought against tech companies by more than 1,600 plaintiffs, including 350 families and over 250 school districts, NBC reported. 

Snap and TikTok were also defendants of the suit, but both agreed to settle on undisclosed terms before the trial. 

Wednesday's decision was not the only legal setback for Meta this week. A jury in New Mexico on Tuesday found Meta liable for violating state law in a lawsuit brought by the state's attorney general, accusing the company of enabling child sexual exploitation on its platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. The jury ordered Meta to pay $375 million in civil penalties after deliberating for less than a day.

More US states are mounting legislation targeting tech companies, as the US Congress has refused to pass federal-level regulations on social media usage. At least 20 states enacted laws last year on social media usage and children, Reuters reported, citing the National Conference of State Legislatures, a nonpartisan organization that tracks state laws.

(With input from agencies)