A California jury has found Meta and YouTube liable for negligence that harmed a young woman's mental health, ordering the companies to pay $3 million in compensatory damages in what could become a watershed moment for the tech industry. The verdict is among the first in a wave of thousands of similar lawsuits filed across the United States.
The plaintiff, identified in court documents as KGM, argued that the addictive design of social media products led to her anxiety and depression. The jury agreed. TikTok and Snapchat were originally named in the lawsuit but settled out of court before trial. Punitive damages — additional money intended as punishment — have not yet been determined.
As New Scientist reported, the case follows a similar ruling in New Mexico on March 24, where a jury found Meta guilty of failing to protect children from exploitation on its platforms and ordered the company to pay $375 million. That case is now moving toward a second phase in which a judge may require Meta to make specific changes to its products.
The broader cultural reckoning with social media's impact is also playing out beyond the courtroom. The documentary "Molly vs The Machines" traces the story of Molly Russell, a teenager in London who died in 2017 after being bombarded with self-harm content on social media platforms. Whistleblowers featured in the film reveal that companies were aware of the risks but failed to implement safeguards.
Both Meta and Google, which owns YouTube, have said they disagree with the California verdict and plan to appeal. But the legal landscape is shifting. Section 230, a U.S. law that has long shielded tech companies from liability for user-posted content, has also made these lawsuits difficult to win — meaning the recent verdicts may signal a turning point. Several more cases are scheduled for trial in the coming months, and a continued pattern of rulings against social media companies could force sweeping changes to how these platforms operate.
