Meta and YouTube were negligent in the design of their platforms, knew their design was dangerous, failed to warn of those risks and caused substantial harm to the plaintiff, the jury found.
The decision could set a precedent for hundreds of similar cases and lead to major changes to how social media platforms operate, especially for young users — as well as millions, even billions, in losses for the tech companies.
The case also marks a watershed moment for social media, following years of concerns from parents, advocates and lawmakers about online harms to children ranging from mental health concerns to sexual exploitation.
A now 20-year-old California woman named Kaley and her mother sued Meta, Google’s YouTube, Snap and TikTok, accusing them of intentionally hooking her as a child and causing her to develop anxiety, body dysmorphia and suicidal thoughts. Snap and TikTok settled the case before trial.
The jury deliberated for more than eight days after a seven-week trial in Los Angeles Superior Court. They ordered the companies to pay a total of $3 million in compensatory damages.
The jurors also recommended YouTube pay an additional $900,000 in punitive damages, according to a Google spokesperson, and $2.1 million in punitive damages from Meta, according to a Meta spokesperson.
Meta bears 70% of the responsibility for the Kaley’s harms and YouTube 30%, jurors found.
Kaley was in the courtroom to hear the decision, along with parents of other teens who they say were harmed by social media.
Meta and YouTube said they planned to appeal the verdict.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com
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