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Thu, 26 Mar 2026

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 'A game-changing moment for social media' - what next for big tech after landmark addiction verdict?

The ruling could be the beginning of the end of social media as we know it, writes the BBC's technology editor Zoe Kleinman.

* A jury in LA has ruled that Instagram and YouTube are addictive and deliberately engineered to be so.
* The platforms' owners, Meta and Google, have been found negligent in safeguarding children who used them.
* The jury ordered Meta and Google to pay $6m (£4.5m) in damages to a young woman known as Kaley.
* Kaley claimed the platforms left her with body dysmorphia, depression, and suicidal thoughts.
* Both companies intend to appeal the verdict.
* The ruling is seen as a significant shift in how courts view platform design and its impact on user wellbeing.
* Experts have compared the verdict to "big tobacco's moment", where health warnings were introduced on cigarette packets.
* The tech industry may be forced to re-examine their business models, including introducing restrictions on advertising and sponsorship opportunities.