A California jury has found Meta and YouTube liable for designing features that foster addiction and harm the well‑being of young users. The plaintiff, a 20‑year‑old woman, testified that her mental health suffered after viewing YouTube at age six, joining Instagram at nine and later developing a dependency on social media.
Jurors awarded $3 million in compensatory damages, assigning 70% of the responsibility to Meta and 30% to YouTube, and later recommended an additional $3 million in punitive damages. The plaintiff’s lead attorney said the verdict signals that the industry will be held accountable.
Before trial, the plaintiff also pursued claims against Snap and TikTok; those companies reached undisclosed settlements. At trial, the plaintiff’s lawyers highlighted platform design elements intended to keep users engaged, including infinite scrolling, autoplay and persistent notifications.
Meta and Google, which owns YouTube, disputed the verdict. Meta said it respectfully disagrees and is reviewing its legal options, while Google has stated it will appeal. Meta’s defense lawyers argued that treating clinicians did not single out social media as the sole cause of the plaintiff’s problems and pointed to a difficult home environment; under the applicable legal standard, however, social media needed only to be a “substantial factor,” not the exclusive cause.
The decision comes amid growing legal and regulatory pressure on social media companies. In a related development, a New Mexico jury recently found Meta liable in a child‑safety case and imposed $375 million in civil penalties; Meta has indicated it will appeal that ruling as well. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg testified in the Los Angeles proceedings last month.
Despite the mounting lawsuits, Meta’s market valuation remains near $1.5 trillion as the company reviews next steps following the verdict.