A jury in Los Angeles has found that Meta and YouTube were negligent in a closely watched trial over social media addiction. The companies were ordered to pay $6 million in damages to a woman who said her drug addiction caused harm to her as a child.
The case was brought by a 20-year-old woman, named “KGM” in court documents, who sued Meta, YouTube, TikTok, and Snap, saying she was harmed by these platforms in her childhood because of their addictive features. A settlement was reached between TikTok and Snap before the trial.
according to nbc newsMeta was ordered to pay 70 percent of the $3 million in compensatory damages and the remainder was taken up by YouTube. The jury awarded an additional $3 million in punitive damages. “We respectfully disagree with the decision and are evaluating our legal options,” a Meta spokesperson said in a statement. “We disagree with the decision and plan to appeal,” Google spokesman Jose Castaneda said in a statement. “This case misunderstands YouTube, which is a responsibly built streaming platform, not a social media site.”
The week-long trial is being closely watched as it is the first of several court cases in which plaintiffs have argued that minors have been harmed because of the way social media platforms are designed. Meta’s lawyers and executives have refuted the idea that social media should be considered an “addiction”. CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified that the company wants Instagram to be “useful”, and he accused the plaintiffs’ attorney of repeatedly “misrepresenting” his past statements.
Joseph VanZandt, one of KGM’s attorneys, said in a statement, “This is the first time in history that a jury has heard testimony from executives and seen internal documents that lead us to believe these companies prioritized profits over children.” the new York Times,
For Meta, this is the second legal blow in as many days. The decision comes a day after a jury in New Mexico ruled against Meta in a lawsuit over child safety issues. The company was ordered to pay $375 million in fines; The company said it would appeal.
Update, March 25, 2026, 11:22 am PT: Added a statement from Google.
Update. March 25, 2026, 2:05 pm PT: Added details regarding punitive damages.
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