California jury orders Meta and Google to pay woman $3 million in social media addiction case

A California jury on Wednesday found Meta and Google's YouTube liable for depression and anxiety suffered by a woman who compulsively used social media as a child, awarding her $3 million in compensatory damages in a rare verdict holding Silicon Valley accountable for its role in fueling a youth mental health crisis.

The personal injury trial, which commenced in late January in Los Angeles Superior Court, involved a 20-year-old woman identified as K.G.M., or Kaley, who alleged she became addicted to Instagram and YouTube as a child. She claimed the platforms were deliberately built to be addictive, using features like infinite scroll and autoplay designed to hook young users.

The jury of seven women and five men determined that Meta and Google's YouTube were negligent and failed to warn users of the dangers associated with using their platforms. Jurors ruled that the companies' negligence played a "substantial factor" in causing the plaintiff's mental health-related harms.

The $3 million in compensatory damages was apportioned between the two companies, with Meta responsible for 70 percent, or $2.1 million, and YouTube responsible for the remaining 30 percent. Deliberations began Friday, March 13, before the verdict was reached Wednesday.

The jury also determined that the companies' actions should trigger punitive damages, which means a separate phase of the trial will proceed to determine the additional amount the defendants must pay for acting with malice. That phase is set to begin shortly.