- Jury rules Meta and YouTube negligent, causing harm to teen user with anxiety, body dysmorphia, and suicidal thoughts.
- Plaintiffs awarded $3 million in damages, with Meta 70% responsible and YouTube 30% responsible.
- Decision could inspire more lawsuits against social media companies for their impact on teen mental health.
The battle to hold social media platforms responsible for the harm they are doing to teenagers took a significant turn after a jury sided with plaintiffs in a lawsuit against Meta and YouTube.
A Los Angeles jury found both Meta and YouTube liable on all counts in the case where a now 20-year-old California young woman named Kaley and her mother sued Meta, Google’s YouTube, Snap, and TikTok, accusing the tech giants of getting her hooked on the platforms as a child, leading to multiple issues like anxiety, body dysmorphia, and suicidal thoughts.
Snap and TikTok settled before the trial started, and now Meta and YouTube will have to distribute the punitive damages payouts.
Per NBC News:
The jury stated that Meta’s and YouTube’s negligence were a substantial factor in causing harm to the plaintiff, identified in court by her initials, K.G.M., and that the companies failed to adequately warn users of the dangers of Instagram (Meta’s platform) and YouTube (which is owned by Google).
They awarded K.G.M. $3 million in compensatory damages, finding Meta 70% responsible for harm caused to the now 20-year-old plaintiff, and YouTube responsible for 30%.
It took the jury more than eight days to reach its decision after a seven-week trial in Los Angeles Superior Court.
Mark Lanier, the lead attorney for the plaintiff spoke on the decision, adding that he hopes it would bring more accountability and transparency “so that the public can see that these companies have been orchestrating an addiction crisis in our country and, actually, the world.”
Both Meta & YouTube Will Appeal The Decision
Following the decision, both Meta and YouTube said they would appeal.
“We respectfully disagree with the verdict and will appeal,” a spokesperson for Meta said. “Teen mental health is profoundly complex and cannot be linked to a single app. We will continue to defend ourselves vigorously as every case is different, and we remain confident in our record of protecting teens online.”
José Castañeda, a spokesperson for Google, said in a statement that the case “misunderstands YouTube, which is a responsibly built streaming platform, not a social media site.”
This Decision Could Be The First of Many
The decision could set a precedent, giving attorneys for plaintiffs in similar lawsuits a blueprint for how to move their cases forward.
This decision also follows Meta’s other legal L after a New Mexico jury found the company violated the state’s consumer protection laws and ordered them to pay $73 million.
Social media has been reacting to the blockbuster news; you can see those reactions below.
