Jury finds Meta and YouTube liable in social media addiction trial
A Los Angeles jury found Meta and YouTube liable for negligent design of their platforms in a landmark social media addiction trial, awarding $3 million in damages to a 20-year-old woman who claimed the platforms addicted her as a child. The jury determined the companies were 70% and 30% responsible respectively for the plaintiff's mental health harm, with punitive damages still to be decided. The case is viewed as potentially influencing thousands of similar pending lawsuits against social media companies.
Broad agreement on what happened
Outlets across the spectrum land in roughly the same place: the shared language is highlighted.
“Jury returns verdict in Meta, YouTube landmark social media trial”ABC ABC News LEFT-CENTER
“Meta and YouTube Lose Landmark Social-Media Addiction Trial”WSJ Wall Street Journal RIGHT-CENTER
“Meta and YouTube found negligent in landmark social media addiction trial” · BBC, AP News, Axios, Reuters, Al Jazeera, Politico, The Hill, PBS NewsHour