A US jury holds Meta and Google liable for designing harmful social media platforms, ordering them to pay USD 6 million in a landmark case with wider implications.
LOS ANGELES: A Los Angeles jury has found Meta Platforms and Alphabet’s Google negligent for designing social media platforms that are harmful to young people.
The verdict, which orders the companies to pay a combined USD 6 million in damages, serves as a critical test case for thousands of similar lawsuits. The jury assigned USD 4.2 million in damages to Meta and USD 1.8 million to Google.
The case centred on a plaintiff known as Kaley, who argued she became addicted to Instagram and YouTube as a minor due to their attention-grabbing design features. Her legal team focused on platform design, such as infinite scroll, rather than content, a strategy that circumvented strong legal protections for tech companies.
“Today’s verdict is a referendum — from a jury, to an entire industry — that accountability has arrived,” the plaintiff’s lead counsel stated.
Both Meta and Google have stated they disagree with the verdict and plan to appeal. The ruling represents a significant setback for the industry, according to analysts.
“This process will likely get dragged out through future cases and appeals, but eventually may cause these companies to put in consumer safeguards that may dampen growth,” said Gil Luria, a technology sector analyst at D.A. Davidson.
The trial revealed internal company documents showing efforts to attract younger users. Executives, including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, testified to defend company decisions.
When questioned about reinstating beauty filters despite internal warnings, Zuckerberg stated he “felt like the evidence wasn’t clear enough to support limiting people’s expression.” The issue of free speech is expected to feature in the companies’ appeals.
This verdict amplifies mounting criticism over child safety that has shifted debates to courts and state legislatures. At least 20 states enacted laws last year concerning social media and children.
U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn and Richard Blumenthal called on Congress to pass legislation mandating safer platform designs for children. Further legal action is imminent, with a major federal case set for trial this summer and another state trial in Los Angeles beginning in July.
Separately, a New Mexico jury found Meta violated state law on Tuesday in a case concerning child safety and exploitation. Other defendants in the Los Angeles case, Snap and TikTok, settled with the plaintiff before the trial began.
