Stories

Wed, 25 Mar 2026

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 Meta and YouTube found liable in landmark social media addiction trial

A woman has been awarded $6m in a verdict that could have implications for hundreds of other cases in the US.

* A Los Angeles jury awarded $6m (£4.5m) in damages to a 20-year-old woman, known as Kaley, who sued Meta and YouTube over her childhood addiction to social media.
* Jurors found that Meta and Google intentionally built addictive platforms that harmed Kaley's mental health and acted with "malice, oppression, or fraud".
* Meta and Google will both appeal the verdict.
* The case is likely to have implications for hundreds of similar cases in US courts.
* Kaley was awarded $3m in compensatory damages and an additional $3m in punitive damages.
* Meta will bear 70% of the damages award, with Google responsible for the remaining 30%.
* Parents of children who claim they were also harmed by social media celebrated outside the courthouse after the verdict.