In a first-of-its-kind verdict, a jury in Los Angeles has found Meta and YouTube liable in a case alleging that their platforms were deliberately designed in ways that could addict and harm children. The companies have been ordered to pay $6 million to a 20-year-old plaintiff identified only by the initials “KGM.”
The plaintiff had filed a lawsuit against Meta’s Instagram, ByteDance’s TikTok, and Google’s YouTube, claiming she was harmed as a child because of addictive features on these platforms. TikTok and Snap reached settlements before the trial began.
The jury ordered Meta to pay 70 per cent of the $3 million in compensatory damages, while YouTube will cover the remaining portion. In addition to this, the plaintiff has been awarded another $3 million in punitive damages.
Meta and Google respond to the verdict
Reacting to the decision, a Meta spokesperson told Engadget that the company disagrees with the verdict and is evaluating its legal options. While, a Google spokesperson said the case misunderstands YouTube, arguing that it is a streaming platform rather than a social media service. Google plans to file an appeal against the verdict.
Why this case is significant
The case is important because it is the first among several lawsuits claiming that social media platforms harm minors due to the way they are designed. During the trial, Instagram head Adam Mosseri disagreed with the idea that people can be clinically addicted to social media platforms.
However, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg acknowledged that in the company’s early years he had set goals to increase the amount of time teenagers spent on its platforms, as part of efforts to grow revenue and expand the user base.
During the trial, the plaintiff said she created YouTube and Instagram accounts when she was eight and nine years old respectively. She testified that she soon began spending most of her time on Instagram. Her lawyer argued that design choices such as “infinite scroll” were intended to keep users hooked on the apps.
This verdict comes shortly after another legal setback for the company. A court in New Mexico recently ordered Meta to pay $375 million (£279 million) for misleading users about the safety of its platforms for children. The jury found that Meta’s platforms endangered children and exposed them to sexually explicit material and contact with sexual predators.
