Meta and You Tube Found Negligent by a Jury

A 20-year-old woman sued Meta and YouTube alleging the design of their products had created an addiction for her as a child that has resulted in mental health issues as an adult. Today a jury sided with the plaintiff, finding the social media companies were negligent and ordering them each to pay several million dollars.

The social media company Meta and the video streaming service YouTube harmed a young user with design features that were addictive and led to her mental health distress, a jury found on Wednesday, a landmark decision that could open social media companies to more lawsuits over users’ well-being.

Meta must pay $4.2 million in combined compensatory and punitive damages, and YouTube must pay $1.8 million.

The bellwether case, which was brought by a now 20-year-old woman identified as K.G.M., had accused social media companies of creating products as addictive as cigarettes or digital casinos. Citing features like infinite scroll and algorithmic recommendations, K.G.M. sued Meta, which owns Instagram and Facebook, and Google’s YouTube, claiming they led to anxiety and depression.

Here’s a bit more about the damages the plaintiff claims was done as a result of her addiction to these sites.

The plaintiff, only known as K.G.M., said she started using social media apps at just 6 years old, and her addiction fueled depression, anxiety and severe mental health struggles, including body dysmorphia and thoughts of self-harm.

For weeks, jurors heard firsthand how K.G.M. felt trapped in the apps’ endless loops, describing sleepless nights and obsessive scrolling she couldn’t control…

K.G.M.’s lawyers said the apps acted as “digital candy for the brain,” intentionally exploiting young users’ vulnerabilities.

The jury deliberated for a week before coming to a decision. This case was designed to bypass the usual legal roadblock created by section 230 which prevents social media companies from being sued for content produced by their users. In this case, the plaintiff isn’t claiming she was harmed by the content but by the design features which kept her addicted to the sites. Two other companies, TikTok and Snap both settled out of court.

“This is the first time in history a jury has heard testimony by executives and seen internal documents that we believe prove these companies chose profits over children,” said Joseph VanZandt, one of K.G.M.’s lawyers.

“We respectfully disagree with the verdict and are evaluating our legal options,” a Meta spokeswoman said.

Google also said it disagreed with the verdict and plans to appeal. “This case misunderstands YouTube, which is a responsibly built streaming platform, not a social media site,” said José Castañeda, a Google spokesman.

The amount of money involved in this case isn’t significant for Meta or YouTube, but there are numerous other cases waiting to go to trial and the success of this one could bring even more plaintiffs forward. 

With the armor of Silicon Valley companies fractured, they will now have to size up their appetite for future courtroom battles. There are thousands more lawsuits waiting to be heard, with young internet users, parents, school districts and state attorneys general all seeking to hold the industry accountable.

This is the second lawsuit Meta has lost this week. Yesterday it was ordered to pay $375 million in a case out of New Mexico.

Meta misled users about the safety of its platforms and enabled the sexual exploitation of young users, a New Mexico jury found on Tuesday, one of the first major child safety trial losses for the social media giant.

The state’s attorney general, Raúl Torrez, sued Meta in 2023, accusing it of misleading consumers about the safety of its platforms. The company’s lax safety protocols allowed sexual predators to contact minors, the lawsuit added.

The jury, in State District Court in Santa Fe, agreed, ordering Meta to pay $375 million in damages for violating state consumer protection laws.

These outcomes are going to be appealed so it’s too soon to be certain of where this will all end up. But at least at this moment it appears social media companies are on the back foot.

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