Meta and YouTube found negligent in landmark social media addiction trial

A Los Angeles jury found Meta and YouTube negligent Wednesday and awarded $3 million to a California woman identified in court documents as K.G.M., who claimed the companies' platforms caused her social media addiction, depression, and anxiety after she began using YouTube at age six and Instagram around age nine. The verdict is rare—tech companies are seldom held liable for harms from their platforms—and comes one day after a New Mexico jury ordered Meta to pay $375 million over harms to young users. The case challenged Section 230's shield for tech executives by arguing social media should be held to product liability standards rather than treated as a neutral platform. Meta spokesperson said the company "respectfully disagree[s] with the verdict and are evaluating our legal options," while plaintiffs' counsel framed the ruling as proof that internal company documents revealed leadership "knew their platforms were hurting kids and repeatedly chose profits over children's safety." Another bellwether trial involving state attorneys general, school districts, and families begins in June in federal court.