Jurors Find Meta, YouTube Liable in Child-Harm Trials
Juries ordered Meta to pay $375 million and Meta/YouTube $6 million in two trials plaintiffs say could reshape platform design and prompt more liability.
The Guardian‘Accountability has arrived’: dual US court losses show shifting tide against Meta and co
The GuardianHuman rights groups cheer ‘watershed’ verdict in social media addiction trial
CNBCMeta's stock drops almost 8% as 2 court defeats add to Zuckerberg's recent woes
CBS NewsWhy this week's social media verdicts could finally hold tech giants to account
Overview
Jurors in two trials found social media companies liable, with a New Mexico jury ordering Meta to pay $375 million and a Los Angeles jury awarding $6 million against Meta and YouTube, court verdicts show.
The cases were the first to hold Meta liable for products harming young people and are bellwether trials among thousands of suits by families, school districts and state attorneys general, plaintiffs' filings say.
Meta and YouTube said they will appeal the rulings, while international human rights and tech freedom groups praised the California verdict and urged urgent platform design changes, their statements said.
Meta's stock fell almost 8% and has dropped 17% this year, reflecting investor concern, according to market reports.
New Mexico's attorney general said he will seek court-ordered platform changes beginning in May, and additional bellwether trials are slated to start in June and July, court calendars show.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the ruling as a watershed moment by using urgent, evaluative language (e.g., 'damning verdict', 'game-changing moment', 'era of impunity is over'), foregrounding victim and expert voices while relegating company denials to brief rebuttals, and structuring coverage toward sweeping policy implications. Quoted claims remain source content, not editorial.
FAQ
A New Mexico jury ordered Meta to pay $375 million for harming children's mental health and exposing them to sexual exploitation. A Los Angeles jury found Meta and YouTube liable, awarding $6 million in compensatory damages and recommending $3 million in punitive damages ($2.1 million from Meta, $900,000 from YouTube).[1]
The lawsuits alleged that Meta and YouTube designed addictive platforms with features like infinite feeds, autoplay, and notifications that hooked young users, exacerbating mental health issues and exposing children to sexual exploitation and predators.[1]
The plaintiff, referred to as KGM or Kaley, began using YouTube at age 6 and Instagram at age 9, becoming heavily dependent on social media, which her lawyers claimed substantially contributed to her mental health struggles.
Meta and YouTube stated they disagreed with the verdicts, plan to appeal in New Mexico, and are evaluating legal options in California.