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'Liable' verdict in social media addiction trial
The jury awarded a total of $3 million in damages, with Meta directed to pay 70% of that amount, and YouTube 30%.
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LOS ANGELES – In a historic legal blow to Big Tech, a downtown Los Angeles jury has held Meta and YouTube accountable for the mental health crisis of a young woman who became "hooked" on their platforms as a child.
The verdict marks the first time such companies have been found liable in a trial centered on addictive design practices rather than the content they host.
‘Liable’ verdict reached
What we know:
The plaintiff, identified as K.G.M. or "Kaley," began using YouTube at age 6 and Instagram at age 9, testifying that she was on social media "all day long" as a child.
Her legal team, led by Mark Lanier, successfully argued that features like infinite feeds, autoplay, and constant notifications acted as a "Trojan horse" designed to create "engineered addiction."
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The jury awarded $3 million in total damages, with Meta (Facebook/Instagram) responsible for 70% ($2.1 million) and Google-owned YouTube responsible for 30% ($900,000).
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Meta ordered to pay $375M in New Mexico child exploitation case
A New Mexico jury determined Tuesday that Meta knowingly harmed children’s mental health and concealed what it knew about child sexual exploitation on its social media platforms, a verdict that signals a changing tide against tech companies and the government’s willingness to crack down.
Additionally, the jury found the companies acted with "malice" and awarded another $3 million in punitive damages, on top of the earlier $3 million in compensatory damages. This increases the final payout to $6 million.
In California, punitive damages, also called exemplary damages, represent additional compensation awarded in civil lawsuits levied to punish a defendant for highly reprehensible conduct and to deter similar future acts.
TikTok and Snap were originally defendants in the lawsuit, but both reached settlements before the trial began in the courtroom of Judge Carolyn Barbara Kuhl.
K.G.M.'s testimony details revealed
Dig deeper:
In her testimony, K.G.M. said that as a child, she wanted to be on social media sites "all the time," feeling that if she was not logged on she would "miss out on something," which would send her "into a panic."
K.G.M. said she believed she had uploaded more than 200 videos to YouTube by age 10, but her attorney corrected her and said it was actually more than 300.
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She said she began using Instagram at about 9 years old, and her addiction to social media led her to develop body-image issues, due in part to filters used to aesthetically enhance photos on the site. She also said she gave up on hobbies and other activities so she could focus on social media sites, which also made it difficult for her to make friends at school since she was so focused on her phone.
K.G.M. said the often-enhanced images she would see on the sites would make her "feel very depressed," leaving her insecure about her own looks. She said she ultimately was unable to sleep and began contemplating suicide. She said she began cutting herself as a "coping mechanism."
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What we don't know:
It's unclear how many of the thousands of pending lawsuits will reach trial or if this verdict will be overturned on appeal.
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The other side:
The social media companies strongly denied all allegations in K.G.M.'s lawsuit and maintained they are committed to the well-being of their young users.
Attorneys have questioned the concept of social media being an addiction, and suggested that other factors in K.G.M's life — including alleged verbal and physical abuse by her parents — led to her mental health struggles.
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During his closing argument, Meta lawyer Paul Schmidt showed jurors a video which appeared to show the plaintiff's mother yelling at her, attempting to drive home the point of family strife. YouTube lawyer Luis Li, meanwhile, pointed to K.G.M.'s own testimony during the trial, in which she said her interest in YouTube faded as she got older.
"Ask whether anybody suffering from addiction could say, 'Yeah I kinda lost interest.' What does your common sense tell you about that?" Li asked the jury.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified earlier in the trial that while pre-teens are barred from using the company's services, some minors still break the rules to do so.
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Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg took the witness stand to testify in a trial accusing social media of intentionally being designed to addict children and teens.
Zuckerberg told jurors that minors under age 13 are not permitted to use the Meta platforms, but there are individuals who will do so anyway. He said the company removes users who are found to be underage. K.G.M. was under the age limit when she began using the products, and Zuckerberg suggested it is up to users to read the terms.
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Zuckerberg also took issue with the idea that social media is intentionally addictive or harmful, describing it as a tool that provides vital information and interaction, and as such, people are naturally inclined to use it more frequently.
Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri also testified that just because someone binges on something, such as he did in watching a Netflix show late one night, that kind of attention to a subject is not tantamount to an addiction. He also said that profit comes with protecting minors and not in exploiting them.
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Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri Wednesday denied that child platform users are targeted to be hooked in order to increase profits.
Timeline:
Pre-Trial: TikTok and Snap reach undisclosed settlements just before jury selection begins.
March 12: Closing arguments are delivered; plaintiff’s attorney Mark Lanier compares the platforms to a "Trojan horse" of addiction.
March 13: The jury begins formal deliberations in downtown Los Angeles.
March 20: Jurors send a note indicating they have moved to the financial damages phase.
March 23: The jury reports difficulty reaching a verdict on one defendant; Judge Kuhl orders continued deliberations to avoid a mistrial.
Tuesday, March 24: A New Mexico jury finds Meta liable for $375 million in a separate case involving child safety violations.
Wednesday Morning, March 25: After 40 hours of deliberation over nine days, the jury delivers a $3 million compensatory verdict, finding Meta and YouTube liable for negligence and malice.
Wednesday Afternoon, March 25: Following a brief second phase of evidence, the jury awards an additional $3 million in punitive damages, bringing the total judgment to $6 million.
What's Next: Meta and Google-owned YouTube announce plans to appeal the verdict; the focus shifts to a second "bellwether" trial (R.K.C. v. Meta) scheduled for this summer.
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SUGGESTED COVERAGE: Parents bring attention to dangers of social media
Meta — the parent company of Instagram and Facebook — and Google- owned YouTube are the remaining defendants in the Los Angeles Superior Court trial in which a woman who is now 20 years old and identified as K.G.M. contends that her use of social media from an early age addicted her to the technology and exacerbated depression and suicidal thoughts.
What they're saying:
Lanier, the plaintiff's attorney, compared the tech giants to "a lion stalking a pack of vulnerable gazelles," arguing they used their size and resources to exploit children.
Meanwhile, the defense attorney maintained that social media is not an addiction and argued Kaley’s mental health struggles were tied to her "turbulent home life" rather than platform use.
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Laura Marquez-Garrett, an attorney with the Social Media Victims Law Center and the counsel of record for Kaley, said this trial was "a vehicle, not an outcome" during deliberations.
"This case is historic no matter what happens because it was the first," Marquez-Garrett said, emphasizing the gravity of getting Meta and Google’s internal documents into the public record.
YouTube representatives argued their platform is more like "television" than social media, pointing to data showing the plaintiff spent very little time on their "infinite scroll" Shorts feature.
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What's next:
Meta and Google-owned YouTube announce plans to appeal the verdict.
SUGGESTED:
What you can do:
Parents and educators concerned about platform addiction can utilize built-in "Digital Wellbeing" (Android) or "Screen Time" (iOS) tools to set hard limits on social media apps.
Additionally, many experts recommend delaying the introduction of infinite-scroll platforms until later adolescence and engaging in open dialogue with children about how "engagement algorithms" are designed to keep them scrolling.
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Protecting kids from social media
Clayton Cranford, a cyber security cop, talks about ways to protect your kid on social media.
Those in need of support can call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.
The Source: This report is based on direct courtroom observations and trial records from the Los Angeles Superior Court proceedings presided over by Judge Carolyn B. Kuhl. Information regarding the jury's verdict, damages, and specific legal arguments was provided through direct statements from plaintiff attorneys Mark Lanier and Laura Marquez-Garrett, as well as official statements from Meta and YouTube representatives following the deliberation. The Associated Press and City News Service contributed to this report.