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A jury in Los Angeles has found Meta and YouTube negligent in a massive social media addiction trial. The jury determined the companies failed to warn users of the dangers of their social platforms.
It's the first domino to fall in a series of trials that have been described as the "Big Tobacco" moment for social media.
Article continues belowThe jurors ruled in favor of Kaley with compensatory damages assessed at $3 million. Meta must pay 70% of that, with YouTube on the hook for the remaining 30%. The trial is moving into punitive damages soon, which could get substantially higher.
"Today's verdict is a historic moment — for Kaley and for the thousands of children and families who have been waiting for this day," attorneys representing the plaintiff said in a statement after the verdict. "She showed extraordinary courage bringing this case and telling her story in open court. A jury of Kaley's peers heard the evidence, heard what Meta and YouTube knew and when they knew it, and held them accountable for their conduct."
Meta has promised to appeal the verdict. "We respectfully disagree with the verdict and are evaluating our legal options," a spokesperson said after the Los Angeles trial.
'Deliberately keeping kids hooked'
Common Sense Media founder and CEO James P. Steyer praised the verdict calling it a "powerful recognition."
"Social media companies deliberately design their platforms to keep kids hooked, consequences to their mental and physical health be damned. The momentum for change is no longer building. It's here," said Steyer in a statement to Tom's Guide.
The plaintiff alleged that she suffered from severe body dysmorphia, depression, and suicidal thoughts brought on by near-constant use of the apps and the deluge of notifications from them.
Throughout the LA trial, both companies denied the plaintiff's claims. Kaley alleged that she suffered from severe body dysmorphia, depression, and suicidal thoughts brought on by near-constant use of the apps and the deluge of notifications from them. Attorneys for the giant tech firms implied that a turbulent childhood and family life were responsible for her mental health issues, while she used the apps as a coping mechanism.
Today’s verdict marks a significant blow to social networks who are already under the microscope from parents, lawmakers, and educators," said Emarketer analyst Minda Smiley:
"For years, social media companies have claimed they’re hard at work making their platforms safer for kids and teenagers. Critics have long been skeptical that they’re acting in good faith—or that their efforts are having a material impact. This verdict could mark the start of a difficult new chapter for social platforms, one where the rules they write for themselves no longer cut it."
Meta and YouTube claimed that they take safety and health concerns seriously. That's a hard pill to swallow after Meta was accused of suppressing child safety research last year.
"Social media giants would never have faced trial if they had prioritized kids' safety over engagement," Steyer noted. "Instead, they buried their own research showing children were being harmed, and used kids and society as guinea pigs in massive, uncontrolled, and wildly profitable experiments."
The trial saw testimony from seveal high-level executives including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Instagram head Adam Mosseri, and YouTube's VP of engineering Cristos Goodrow. Mosseri claimed that the the apps were not "clinically addictive" during his testimony.
Meta faces more trials
Meta faces a series of trials across the country about the safety of its platforms. This week, jurors in Santa Fe, New Mexico determined that Meta willfully violated the state's unfair practices. New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez alleged that the company failed to safeguard its apps from online predators who targeted children.
Reuters reported that the company will have pay $375 million for violating New Mexico laws. “The jury’s verdict is a historic victory for every child and family who has paid the price for Meta’s choice to put profits over kids’ safety,” Torrez said in a statement.
The state is urging Meta to implement changes to its apps including "enacting effective age verification, removing predators from the platform, and protecting minors from encrypted communications that shield bad actors."
The New Mexico case revealed internal employee messages where employees discussed some 7.5 million child sexual abuse material reports that would disappear after Zuckerberg's 2019 decision to make Facebook Messenger have end-to-end decryption by default.
“There goes our CSER [Community Standards Enforcement Report] numbers next year,” an employee wrote in December 2023 according to a filing.
“I care about the wellbeing of teens and kids who are using our services,” Zuckerberg said in Los Angeles, according to CNBC.
Apple and Snap are also on the hook
Meta and YouTube aren't the only high-profile companies facing major trials over child safety.
As CNBC reports, Apple is on trial in West Virginia over allegations by the state attorney general, John McCuskey, that the company failed to prevent CSAM from being stored on iOS devices and iCloud.
Apple said in a statement that “protecting the safety and privacy of our users, especially children, is central to what we do.”
Additionally, Snapchat and TikTok were originally part of the LA trial before settling with the plaintiff. A separate federal trial is supposed to kick off in Northern California this year involving all four companies over claims from school districts and parents that the apps foster detrimental mental health harms on children and teens.
Like the series of trials Big Tobacco faced in the 1990s that saw billions in payments, this could be a pivotal year for social media platforms and the companies behind them.
It could lead to similar legal changes that fundamentally alters how these companies operate.
"This verdict, along with other recent court rulings, should embolden lawmakers in California and across the country to use their authority to force real change in how these companies design and operate their products," Steyer said.
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