A US jury verdict holding Big Tech accountable for social media addiction has opened a new legal front for the industry, with Meta and Google found liable for harming a young user through their platforms.
In a landmark ruling in Los Angeles, jurors concluded that Meta and Google’s Instagram and YouTube were deliberately designed to be addictive, contributing to serious mental health issues for a 20-year-old woman identified as Kaley. The jury awarded her $6 million (about ₹50 crore) in damages, including both compensatory and punitive components.
The verdict is significant not just for the payout but for its wider implications. Legal experts say it could influence hundreds of similar lawsuits pending across US courts, where families have accused social media platforms of harming children through addictive design and inadequate safeguards.
The jury held Meta responsible for 70 percent of the damages, with Google accounting for the remaining 30 percent. It also found that the companies acted with “malice, oppression, or fraud” in the way their platforms were structured and operated.
Both companies have said they will appeal. Meta argued that teen mental health is a complex issue that cannot be attributed to a single platform, while Google maintained that YouTube is not a social media platform but a responsibly managed video service.
The case centred on Kaley’s early exposure to these platforms. She testified that she began using YouTube at the age of six and Instagram at nine, without any effective age verification barriers. Over time, she developed anxiety, depression, and body dysmorphia, conditions her lawyers linked to prolonged and compulsive platform use.
Her legal team argued that features such as infinite scrolling and algorithm-driven content recommendations were intentionally designed to maximise engagement, particularly among younger users. Internal company documents and expert testimony were used to suggest that attracting and retaining young users was a key growth strategy.
The ruling comes amid rising global scrutiny of social media platforms. Countries like Australia have already introduced restrictions for children, while the UK is testing potential limits for users under 16.
Back-to-back verdicts against Meta in recent days—including another case involving exposure of minors to explicit content—suggest a turning point in public and legal sentiment. Analysts say the pressure on tech companies to redesign platforms with stronger child protections is likely to intensify.
With another major trial set to begin in California in June, the legal challenges facing Big Tech over user safety, especially for minors, are far from over.
