It caps off the nearly two-month trial against Meta, the parent company of Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, and Google’s YouTube, and marks one of the first high-profile trials surrounding kids’ online safety.
The decision is a major blow for social media companies and could impact hundreds of similar lawsuits against technology firms across the country.
The case in the Los Angeles Superior Court is part of a consolidation of thousands of lawsuits brought by individuals, school districts and states against the social media companies. Another case is expected to play out in federal court.
It stems from a complaint filed by K.G.M., a 20-year-old who started using social media as a kid and says she became addicted to the platforms. Lawyers for the K.G.M. told the court this resulted in or worsened her depression, anxiety, body dysmorphia and suicidality.
The jury determined the companies should pay $3 million in compensatory damages, with Meta expected to pay 70 percent and YouTube 30 percent of that amount.
Lawyers for the plaintiffs called the verdict a “historic moment,” and “bigger than one case.”
A Meta spokesperson told The Hill the company “respectfully disagrees” with the verdict and will appeal.
Read more in a full report at TheHill.com
