Jury finds Meta and YouTube liable in landmark social media addiction case

Meta and YouTube were found liable on Wednesday in a landmark social media addiction trial in a California state court.

The ruling by a jury on the Los Angeles Superior Court found the parent companies of the social media platforms Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube negligent, per Sky News.

The case, which unfolded through several weeks of proceedings at trial and days of jury deliberation, centered on claims from a 19-year-old, identified only as K.G.M. in the lawsuit, who claimed she became addicted to the social media platforms, which eventually led her to have depression and suicidal thoughts. Meta, owner of Instagram and Facebook; Snap, owners of Snapchat; TikTok, and YouTube were initially slated to be on trial together, but Snap and TikTok reached settlements for undisclosed amounts just before trial, leaving only Meta and YouTube up for potential damages in this case.

During the trial the heads of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, and Meta, Mark