A groundbreaking decision by a California jury on Wednesday ordered Meta and YouTube to pay millions of dollars in a lawsuit that may set a precedent for thousands of similar cases accusing social media companies of causing deliberate harm.
The plaintiff testified that she became addicted to social media as a child, which worsened her mental health issues. After more than 40 hours of deliberation, the majority of jurors agreed, awarding her $3 million in damages, according to reports.
The jury further recommended an additional $3 million in punitive damages, concluding that the companies acted with malice, oppression, or fraud in harming children through their platforms. The final amount of damages will be decided by the judge.
This case follows another this week, where a jury in New Mexico found the company liable for harming children’s mental health and safety by violating state law.
Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, and YouTube, owned by Google, have both issued statements disagreeing with the verdict and have pledged to explore legal options, including appeals.
