US jury verdicts hold Meta and YouTube liable for social media addiction harming young users
Consensus Summary
A California jury ruled on March 20, 2024, that Meta (Facebook/Instagram) and YouTube were negligent for designing addictive platforms that harmed a young woman, awarding her $3 million in compensatory damages with punitive damages pending. The plaintiff, KGM, testified she began using YouTube at age six and Instagram at nine, developing severe mental health issues including depression, self-harm, and body dysmorphic disorder by age 13. Jurors found both companies knew or should have known their services posed dangers to minors, failed to warn users, and acted with malice, setting the stage for additional punitive damages. The verdict follows a New Mexico ruling the prior day where Meta was ordered to pay $375 million for enabling child sexual exploitation on its platforms. Both cases are the first to hold Meta liable for harm caused by its platforms, with thousands of similar lawsuits pending in the US. Meta and YouTube have vowed to appeal, citing specific case details and emphasizing their focus on safety features. Internal company documents revealed at trial included damning statements about targeting young users, with one employee comparing it to tobacco industry tactics. The rulings have sparked global attention, with Australian law firms investigating potential cases and the Australian government extending its under-16 social media ban to include platforms with addictive design features. Critics argue the verdicts could force tech companies to redesign their products, while defenders claim the damages are insufficient to change business models. The cases mirror legal battles against the tobacco industry, with plaintiff lawyers arguing that features like infinite scroll and autoplay were intentionally designed to maximize engagement and profit.
â Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- A California jury found Meta (parent of Facebook/Instagram) and YouTube liable for negligence in a landmark social media addiction trial on March 20, 2024, awarding $3 million ($4.3 million AUD) in compensatory damages to plaintiff KGM (20-year-old woman).
- The jury split liability 70% to Meta and 30% to YouTube, with Meta ordered to pay $2.1 million ($3.02 million AUD) and YouTube $900,000 ($1.29 million AUD).
- The plaintiff, known as KGM or Kaley, testified she began using YouTube at age six and Instagram at age nine, reporting severe mental health decline including depression, self-harm, body dysmorphic disorder, and social phobia by age 13.
- Jurors found both companies knew or should have known their services posed dangers to minors, failed to warn users adequately, and acted with malice, oppression, or fraudâsetting the stage for punitive damages.
- A separate New Mexico jury on March 19, 2024, found Meta liable for enabling child sexual exploitation on its platforms and ordered $375 million ($539.8 million AUD) in damages, with Meta appealing the ruling.
- The California case is the first of over 20 'bellwether' trials scheduled in Los Angeles, with the next trial set for July 2024, and thousands of similar lawsuits pending across the US.
- Meta and YouTube both stated they respectfully disagree with the verdicts and plan to appeal, with Meta citing specific case details and YouTube emphasizing its focus on video streaming rather than social media.
- Internal Meta and YouTube documents revealed at trial included statements like 'targeting 11-year-olds feels like tobacco companies a couple decades ago' and 'Instagram had become the leading two-sided marketplace for human trafficking'.
- The plaintiffâs lawyers argued that features like infinite scroll, autoplay, notifications, and like counts were intentionally designed to drive compulsive use among young people, mirroring tactics used by tobacco and gambling industries.
- Australian law firms (e.g., Shine Lawyers, Slater and Gordon) are investigating potential legal cases based on the US verdicts, with the Australian government extending its under-16 social media ban to include platforms with addictive design features.
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Jurors assigned Meta 70% responsibility for the plaintiffâs harm, with a $2.1 million ($3.02 million AUD) share of the compensatory award, and YouTube 30% ($900,000 or $1.29 million AUD).
- Jasmine Enberg of Scalable noted that $3 million is a 'slap on the wrist' for Meta and YouTube, but redesigning products could pose an existential threat to their business models.
- YouTubeâs spokesperson Luis Li apologized to the plaintiff but argued punitive damages should relate to the specific case and not be part of a 'social crusade'.
- Metaâs lawyer Paul Schmidt played a recording of the plaintiffâs mother yelling at her during closing arguments to argue her mental health struggles were unrelated to social media.
- The Guardian reported the damages awarded as $6 million (with $3 million compensatory and $3 million punitive), with Meta to pay 70% and Google 30%, totaling $4.3 million AUD.
- Lisa Flynn of Shine Lawyers stated the $6 million verdict is a 'watershed moment' signaling courts are willing to hold tech giants accountable for real-world harm.
- Andy Wei of Slater and Gordon said the verdict is a 'significant moment in global scrutiny of social media platforms and their impact on young people'.
- The Guardian highlighted Australiaâs extension of its under-16 social media ban to include platforms with addictive features like infinite scroll and likes, citing Communications Minister Anika Wells.
- The Greensâ Sarah Hanson-Young criticized the government for not acting on a digital duty of care proposal, calling it 'apologetic' rather than preventive.
- ABC reported the plaintiffâs name as 'Kaley GM' (initials) and noted she was identified as 'KGM' in court documents.
- ABC included a quote from Laura Marquez-Garrett of the Social Media Victims Law Center calling the case 'a vehicle, not an outcome,' emphasizing its historic nature regardless of outcome.
- ABC mentioned that Snap and TikTok settled with the plaintiff before the trial began, with no further details on settlement amounts.
- ABC cited Lisa Given of RMIT stating the lawsuit is 'unique' and its outcome will influence thousands of pending US lawsuits.
- ABC reported that the plaintiffâs mental health struggles included strained relationships with family and school, with her therapist diagnosing body dysmorphic disorder and social phobia at age 13.
- The Guardian editorial compared the social media cases to the tobacco industryâs legal battles, noting the use of addictive design features like infinite scroll and algorithmic recommendations.
- Rob Nicholls (tech scholar) discussed how platforms borrowed from behavioral techniques used by poker machines and the cigarette industry to maximize youth engagement.
- The editorial highlighted that the California case focused on the content recommendation system rather than user-generated content, bypassing Section 230 liability shields.
- James Rubinowitz, a trial attorney, stated the juryâs 10-2 vote in favor of the plaintiff was 'not a compromise verdict' but a resounding conclusion about defective design.
- Van Badhamâs column included a direct quote from a Meta employee email: 'targetting 11 year olds feels like tobacco companies a couple decades ago'.
- Badham referenced Sarah Wynn-Williamsâ memoir *Careless People* (2025), detailing how Meta tracked teenage girlsâ dissatisfaction with their appearance to monetize ads.
- Badham cited a Meta employeeâs email to Mark Zuckerberg warning about Instagramâs cosmetic surgery filter causing body dysmorphia hospitalizations, which Zuckerberg dismissed as 'paternalistic'.
- Badham compared the tech companiesâ moral standards to those of tobacco companies, stating 'we have put the dominant means for human communication in the hands of corporations with moral standards that are the equivalent. Or below.'
- The Guardian editorial noted that the New Mexico case cited a Guardian investigation in its complaint against Meta for enabling child sexual exploitation.
- The editorial warned that the pace of digital innovation outstrips legislative capacity, citing AI as a potential future challenge to regulation.
- The editorial emphasized the need for a 'precautionary approach' to childrenâs safety online, stating 'young minds are malleable and the attention economyâs assault on them has been unforgivably cynical'.
- Jonathan Freedlandâs column included a direct quote from Frances Haugen, the Facebook whistleblower, suggesting Meta could face a 'trillion-dollar bill' from pending lawsuits, potentially leading to bankruptcy.
- Freedland referenced Haugenâs calculation that 150,000 teenagers awarded $6 million each would total a trillion-dollar liability for Meta.
- The column detailed Sarah Wynn-Williamsâ testimony about Metaâs ability to track teenage girlsâ emotional states to sell targeted ads, including a presentation boasting about exploiting girlsâ feelings of worthlessness.
- Freedland compared the legal strategy to the tobacco industryâs denial of harm despite internal knowledge, stating 'these systems are made by people... This is about the decisions of people and accountability for the choices they made.'
- Freedland noted that the US Supreme Court, shaped by Trump, could overturn the verdicts, but legal experts believe jury verdicts are less prone to reversal than judgeâs rulings.
- The Guardian reported that the jury took nearly nine days of deliberations to reach its verdict and awarded punitive damages in a separate phase of the trial.
- The article included a direct quote from Mark Lanier, KGMâs lawyer: 'How do you make a child never put down the phone? Thatâs called the engineering of addiction. They engineered it, they put these features on the phones.'
- The Guardian stated that the lawsuit is the first of over 20 bellwether trials and part of a consolidated group of cases against Meta, TikTok, YouTube, and Snap on behalf of 1,600+ plaintiffs.
- The article emphasized that the verdict does not mandate platform redesigns but validates Australiaâs view that social media is addictive and harmful to young people.
- SBS summarized the verdict as marking a 'turning point in the global backlash against their platforms' perceived mental health harms to youth.'
- ABCâs second article included a quote from Communications Minister Anika Wells: 'The drum beat against social media harm is getting louder,' following the US verdicts.
- ABC reported that Wells announced the definition of age-restricted social media platforms had been updated to include services with algorithms, endless feeds, feedback features, and time-limited features.
- ABC cited Stan Karanasios of the University of Queensland stating the verdict 'crystallizes... a fundamental shift in how we assign responsibility for social media harm,' shifting accountability from users to platforms.
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- NEWSCOMAU reports the compensatory damages as $3 million ($4.3 million AUD), while GUARDIAN_1 and GUARDIAN_10 report the total damages (including punitive) as $6 million ($4.3 million AUD).
- NEWSCOMAU states the punitive damages phase is ongoing, while GUARDIAN_10 and ABC_11 report punitive damages were awarded but the amount is yet to be decided by the judge.
- NEWSCOMAU reports YouTubeâs liability as 30% ($900,000 or $1.29 million AUD), while GUARDIAN_10 and ABC_11 do not specify the exact dollar amount for YouTubeâs share beyond the 30% split.
- GUARDIAN_7âs Van Badham column claims Metaâs internal documents showed the company knew targeting 11-year-olds was akin to tobacco industry tactics, but NEWSCOMAU does not explicitly state this exact phrasing in its coverage of the internal documents.
- GUARDIAN_9âs Freedland column suggests Meta could face a trillion-dollar liability from pending lawsuits, while other sources (e.g., NEWSCOMAU, GUARDIAN_10) do not provide such a specific financial projection.
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