Meta and Google Found Liable in Social Media Addiction Trial

Jury verdict

A Los Angeles jury found Meta and Google liable in a closely watched lawsuit over childhood social media addiction, handing a significant victory to a 20-year-old woman who said the companies' platforms harmed her mental health.

Jurors concluded that Meta, which owns Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, and Google, which owns YouTube, intentionally built addictive social media platforms. The plaintiff, known as Kaley, was awarded $3 million, with jurors assigning 70% of the responsibility to Meta and 30% to YouTube.

Punitive damages have not yet been determined by the court and, under state law, could rise to as much as $30 million. The verdict is expected to have implications for hundreds of similar cases moving through US courts.

Claims at trial

Kaley's lawyers argued that Meta and Google had created "addiction machines" and failed to stop children from accessing their platforms. They said Instagram features such as infinite scroll were designed to be addictive, and argued that Meta's growth goals were aimed at attracting young users because they were more likely to remain on the platforms for longer periods.

Kaley testified that she began using YouTube at age six and Instagram at age nine, and said she encountered no effective attempts to block her because of her age. She told jurors that she stopped engaging with her family because she was spending so much time on social media.

She said she began experiencing anxiety and depression at age 10, conditions she was later diagnosed with by a therapist. She also testified that she became fixated on her appearance and used Instagram filters that altered her face, making her nose smaller and eyes bigger. She has since been diagnosed with body dysmorphia.

Company responses and broader fallout

Meta argued that although Kaley had suffered in her life, her use of Instagram did not cause or meaningfully contribute to those struggles. In a statement after the verdict, the company said it respectfully disagreed and was evaluating its legal options.

During the trial, Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg pointed to the company's long-standing policy barring users under 13 from its platforms. When shown internal research and documents indicating younger children were using Meta's apps, he said he had always wanted faster progress in identifying underage users and that the company had reached the right place over time.

Although Google was also a defendant, much of the trial focused on Instagram and Meta. Snap and TikTok had originally been named in the case as well, but both companies reached undisclosed settlements with Kaley before trial. Another case against Meta and other social media companies is scheduled to begin in June in California federal court.