Meta, YouTube found liable in US social media addiction case

A landmark trial against Meta and YouTube in California ended with a jury finding the social media companies liable over addictive design.

The plaintiff was awarded $3 million (€2.6 million) in damages, 70% of which was to be paid by Meta and 30% by YouTube.

The amount is likely to grow, however, as the jurors found the companies acted with malice. They are expected to hear new evidence and then retire once again to consider punitive damages.

"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.

The plaintiff, a 20-year-old woman, said her mental health was harmed due to using social media as a child, watching YouTube videos when she was 6 then joining Instagram when she was 9, and growing addicted to it.

She also sought damages from Snap, the developers of Snapchat, and China's TikTok. Those companies, however, settled with the plaintiff before going to trial. The terms of those settlements were not released to the public.

Social media 'hooks' in the spotlight

Meta is the owner of multiple social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.

"We respectfully disagree with the verdict and are evaluating our legal options," Meta said in a statement following the Wednesday decision.

Google, the owner of YouTube, also said they disagreed with the verdict and had plans to appeal.

During the widely publicized trial, the woman's lawyers pointed to design features aimed to "hook" users, including the option of infinite scrolling, autoplay features and notifications.

In turn, Meta's team argued that "not one of her therapists identified social media as the cause" of her mental struggles, and sought to focus on her troubled home life. However, the plaintiff did not need to prove a direct causal link between social media and her mental health — rather, the legal requirement was to show it was a "substantial factor."

Zuckerberg's Meta still reeling from New Mexico case

Social media companies are facing backlash in the US and all over the world, litigating multiple suits and dealing with new laws restricting social media use for children.

The latest verdict comes hot on the heels of a case in New Mexico, where a jury found Meta liable in a child safety lawsuit. The company was ordered to pay $375 million (roughly €323 million) in civil penalties.

Meta signaled it would appeal the New Mexico decision.

The company, helmed by US billionaire and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, is currently valued at about $1.5 trillion.

Zuckerberg appeared as a witness in the Los Angeles trial last month.

Edited by: Sean Sinico