A Los Angeles jury has delivered a historic verdict in favor of a young woman who sued Meta and Google over her childhood addiction to social media, finding that the companies intentionally built addictive platforms that harmed the mental health of 20-year-old Kaley. This outcome is likely to influence hundreds of similar cases currently proceeding through US courts, highlighting growing legal scrutiny over tech giants' practices.

The trial lasted approximately five weeks, with jurors determining that Meta was 70% responsible for the plaintiff's harm, while YouTube was 30% to blame. Lawyers for Meta argued that Kaley's life struggles were not caused or meaningfully contributed to by her use of Instagram, which Meta owns along with Facebook and WhatsApp. However, the court considered internal research and documents revealing that Meta was aware young children were using its platforms despite policies against it.

During his first-ever jury appearance in February, Meta's Chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg relied on the company's longstanding policy of prohibiting users under 13 from its platforms. When presented with evidence showing Meta's knowledge of underage usage, Zuckerberg purportedly stated he "always wished" for faster progress in identifying such users, insisting the company had reached the "right place over time." This testimony underscores alleged gaps in the regime's enforcement mechanisms.

Google, as the owner of YouTube, was also a defendant, though the trial proceedings predominantly focused on Instagram and Meta. Snap and TikTok were initially named as defendants but reached undisclosed settlements with Kaley prior to trial. In a statement, Meta said it "respectfully disagrees" with the verdict and is evaluating legal options, reflecting the contentious nature of this case amid broader societal concerns about social media's impact.

Source: www.bbc.com