Juries Find Meta, Google Liable in Youth Addiction Cases
Los Angeles and New Mexico juries awarded $6M and $375M, finding engagement features harmed a 20-year-old and minors, prompting appeals and predictions of more lawsuits and product changes.
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Los Angeles TimesL.A. social media addiction verdict set to unleash more lawsuits — and force changes
Los Angeles TimesHow the landmark verdict against Meta and YouTube could hit their businesses
Overview
A Los Angeles jury found Meta 70% and YouTube 30% responsible and awarded Kaley G.M. $6 million for harms tied to engagement features.
A New Mexico jury ordered Meta to pay $375 million in a separate case alleging its platforms enabled exploitation of children.
Meta said it disagrees with the verdicts and will appeal, and a Google spokesperson said the company plans to appeal and that the case misunderstands YouTube.
Los Angeles Unified filed suit against Meta, TikTok, Snap, Google, Discord, Roblox and X, joining hundreds of consolidated cases in California’s Northern District.
Experts said the rulings could prompt thousands more lawsuits and force product changes like default safety settings, stricter age verification and new parental controls.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the story as an industry reckoning, using loaded terms like 'reeling' and 'seismic verdict,' foregrounding plaintiff anecdotes (the M&Ms demonstration) and insider alarm ('we're having a moment'), while still including company denials and legal caveats—collectively emphasizing threat to tech more than neutral procedural detail.
FAQ
The Los Angeles jury awarded $3 million in compensatory damages ($2.1 million to Meta, $900,000 to Google) and later $3 million in punitive damages ($2.1 million to Meta, $900,000 to Google), totaling $6 million with Meta 70% liable and Google 30%.
A New Mexico jury ordered Meta to pay $375 million in a case alleging its platforms enabled exploitation of children.
The plaintiff, Kaley G.M. (K.G.M.), now 20, claimed Instagram and YouTube use from ages 6 and 9 led to addiction, depression, anxiety, body dysmorphia, and suicidal thoughts due to engagement features like infinite feeds, autoplay, and notifications.
Meta disagrees with the verdicts, plans to appeal, and states teen mental health is complex and not linked to a single app. Google plans to appeal, calling YouTube a responsibly built streaming platform misunderstood in the case.
Experts predict thousands more lawsuits and potential product changes like default safety settings, stricter age verification, and new parental controls, with cases like Los Angeles Unified's suit against multiple platforms.
