A Los Angeles jury delivered a landmark verdict against Meta and YouTube, finding that the companies knowingly designed addictive platforms that harmed a young woman’s mental health after she began using them as a child. Kaley (her last name has been withheld from public filings for privacy), now 20, was awarded $3 million, with jurors assigning 70 percent of the blame to Meta and 30 percent to YouTube. Punitive damages are still pending and could raise the total sharply.
The decision could impact hundreds of similar lawsuits moving through U.S. courts. Meta said it “respectfully” disagreed and is weighing its legal options, while Google said it plans to appeal, arguing YouTube is a “responsibly built streaming platform.”
Kaley testified she started using YouTube at age 6 and Instagram at age 9 and developed anxiety, depression, and body dysmorphia as a result. Her lawyers said features such as infinite scroll were built as “addiction machines.” The social media companies deny that their products were responsible for her struggles.
