In brief
In a historic verdict, a Los Angeles jury ruled that Meta and Google intentionally created addictive social media environments that adversely affected the mental health of users. This case, stemming from the experiences of a young woman named Kaley, has set a precedent that could influence numerous ongoing lawsuits against these tech giants. The jury found Meta responsible for 70% of Kaley's harm and Google for 30%. This decision underscores increasing scrutiny on the practices of social media platforms and their impacts on youth.
A Los Angeles jury has handed down an unprecedented win for a young woman who sued Meta and Google over her childhood addiction to social media.
A panel of jurors found Meta and Google intentionally built addictive social media platforms that harmed the mental health of a 20-year old woman, known as Kaley.
The result will likely influence hundreds of similar cases now winding their way through the US courts.
Lawyers for Meta argued that while Kaley had suffered in her life, her use of Instagram - which Meta owns along with Facebook and WhatsApp - did not cause or meaningfully contribute to those struggles.
After a trial that lasted about five weeks, jurors found Meta to be 70% responsible for the plaintiff's harm - and YouTube was 30% to blame.
In a statement, Meta said: We respectfully disagree with the verdict and are evaluating our legal options.
During his first-ever appearance before a jury in February, Meta's chairman and chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, relied on his company's longstanding policy of not allowing users under the age of 13 on any of its platforms.
When presented with internal research and documents showing that Meta knew young children were in fact using its platforms, Zuckerberg said he always wished for faster progress to identify users under 13. He insisted the company had reached the right place over time.
While Google, as the owner of YouTube, was also a defendant in the case, most of the trial proceedings focused on Instagram and Meta.
Snap and TikTok were also initially defendants, but both companies reached undisclosed settlements with Kaley prior to trial.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
