Key facts
- Meta has appealed a jury verdict that found its social media platforms liable for causing social media addiction in young users.
- The lawsuit centered on a 20-year-old woman who claimed addiction to social media worsened her mental health.
- A jury awarded the plaintiff $3 million in damages and recommended an additional $3 million in punitive damages.
- The jury found negligence by both Meta and Google-owned YouTube to be a substantial factor in causing harm.
- Plaintiffs focused on platform design features like 'infinite scroll' and autoplay to circumvent Section 230 protections.
- Meta and Google's post-trial motions to overturn the verdict were denied by the trial judge.
Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, has appealed a landmark jury verdict in Los Angeles that found the company liable for designing its platforms to foster social media addiction among young users. The appeal follows a jury's determination that Meta's negligence was a substantial factor in causing harm to a 20-year-old woman, identified as Kaley, whose mental health struggles were exacerbated by her childhood social media use.
The jury awarded Kaley $3 million in damages and recommended an additional $3 million in punitive damages. YouTube, owned by Google, was also found negligent in the case. Both Meta and Google have filed notices of appeal, with their legal arguments to be detailed in subsequent court filings. The companies had previously sought to have the verdict overturned or a new trial granted, but these motions were denied by the trial judge in early June.
Plaintiffs in such cases often focus on platform design features, like infinite scroll and autoplay, to circumvent legal protections afforded to tech companies under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which shields them from liability for third-party content. Meta and Google are expected to continue defending their practices vigorously, with Meta asserting that teen mental health is a complex issue not solely attributable to social media apps. This verdict could influence thousands of similar lawsuits against social media companies.