A landmark verdict in Los Angeles. Meta and YouTube must pay $3 million to the 20-year-old. “They made children addicted”

A jury in a Los Angeles court found Meta and YouTube liable for harming the mental health of a 20-year-old woman who accused them of contributing to her addiction when she was a child. The companies are to pay the woman $3 million. compensation.

The jury's decision is the first verdict in a case of this type. It concludes a landmark civil trial that lasted almost two months and will potentially make it easier for other social media addicts to seek compensation. The jury awarded damages in the amount of 3 million dollars, of which 70 percent is to be paid by Meta, and 30 percent YouTube. The court may still order an additional fine.

The case was brought by a 20-year-old woman, known only as Kaley, who blamed social media platforms for her addiction to their products when she was still a child caused damage to her mental healthcausing anxiety, disturbances in body image and suicidal thoughts. The woman allegedly started using YouTube when she was 6 years old, and Instagram – when she was 9 years old. Her lawyers argued that her addiction was the result of deliberate corporate policy.

The companies' lawyers argued that the cause of the plaintiffs' problems was not social media, but her difficult family situation. They also claimed that they were introducing tools and measures to protect children.

In reaction to Wednesday's ruling, Meta said it did not agree with the decision and was considering legal options. Google, the owner of YouTube, announced an appeal against the decision.

Testimony in the trial included, among others: the head of Meta Mark Zuckerberg, the head of Instagram Adam Mosseri and the head of YouTube Neal Mohan.

This is the first case of this type concluded in court. Although this is not a class action lawsuit, the outcome of the trial could set the course for hundreds of similar cases, potentially lead to large compensation payments and force changes in the functioning of platforms. The case is compared to landmark cases against the tobacco industry.

The same woman had previously sued the owners of other platforms, Snapchat and TikTok, in a similar way. However, these companies reached a settlement with her before the trial began.

The verdict was announced a day after a state court in New Mexico issued a decision against Meta, finding it responsible for failing to adequately protect children from pedophiles. In that case, Meta must pay $375 million.

From Washington Oskar Górzyński (PAP)

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