A Los Angeles jury has handed down an unprecedented win for a young woman who sued Meta and Google over her childhood addiction to social media. A panel of jurors found Meta and Google intentionally built addictive social media platforms that harmed the mental health of a 20-year old woman known as Kaley. The result will likely influence hundreds of similar cases now winding their way through the US courts.
Lawyers for Meta argued that while Kaley had suffered in her life, her use of Instagram—owned by Meta along with Facebook and WhatsApp—did not cause or meaningfully contribute to those struggles. After a trial that lasted about five weeks, jurors found Meta to be 70% responsible for the plaintiff's harm, and YouTube was 30% to blame.
In a statement, Meta expressed disagreement with the verdict and mentioned they are evaluating their legal options. During his first-ever appearance before a jury in February, Meta's chairman and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, emphasized that the company prohibits users under the age of 13 on its platforms. However, internal research indicating that young children were using these platforms surfaced during the trial.
While Google was a defendant due to its ownership of YouTube, much of the trial focused on Meta's Instagram. Snap and TikTok were also initially part of the case but reached undisclosed settlements before the trial commenced.
Lawyers for Meta argued that while Kaley had suffered in her life, her use of Instagram—owned by Meta along with Facebook and WhatsApp—did not cause or meaningfully contribute to those struggles. After a trial that lasted about five weeks, jurors found Meta to be 70% responsible for the plaintiff's harm, and YouTube was 30% to blame.
In a statement, Meta expressed disagreement with the verdict and mentioned they are evaluating their legal options. During his first-ever appearance before a jury in February, Meta's chairman and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, emphasized that the company prohibits users under the age of 13 on its platforms. However, internal research indicating that young children were using these platforms surfaced during the trial.
While Google was a defendant due to its ownership of YouTube, much of the trial focused on Meta's Instagram. Snap and TikTok were also initially part of the case but reached undisclosed settlements before the trial commenced.
