Jury finds YouTube, Meta negligent in landmark social media addiction case; orders them to pay $6 million in damages
In a landmark decision, a jury on Wednesday found the video streaming platform YouTube and Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, Threads and WhatsApp, negligent for designing features that harmed and caused a young user mental distress.
The jury ordered Meta to pay $4.2 million and YouTube $1.8 million, a total of $6 million, in damages to the plaintiff, a 20-year-old identified as Kaley, who sued the two platforms.
While $3 million of the total damages was awarded as compensatory damages, the remainder was awarded as punitive damages.
Among other claims, Ms Kaley, in her suit against YouTube and Meta, said features like auto-scrolling got her addicted to the platforms, causing anxiety, depression, and body image issues.
The duo of YouTube and Meta have reacted to the jury’s verdict, disagreeing with it and evaluating their legal options.
José Castañeda, a Google spokesman, said, “This case misunderstands YouTube, which is a responsibly built streaming platform, not a social media site.”
A Meta spokeswoman, in a statement on Wednesday, said, “We respectfully disagree with the verdict and are evaluating our legal options.”
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