California jury finds Meta, YouTube liable in landmark social media trial

A California jury found Meta and YouTube liable for $3 million in damages in a lawsuit alleging the platforms caused harm to children through their services. The case was selected as a bellwether trial, a legal mechanism that allows one case to serve as a test for thousands of similar pending lawsuits against social media companies. This verdict establishes potential legal liability for major tech platforms in child safety cases and could influence how courts and juries evaluate similar claims going forward. The $3 million judgment signals that companies may face financial consequences for their platforms' effects on minors, a question that has remained largely unresolved in previous litigation. Multiple similar cases are now poised to follow the outcome of this trial, making it a potential turning point in efforts to hold social media companies accountable for youth-related harms.