technology

Meta, Google Found Liable in Social Media Addiction Case

Madlin Mekelburg, Maia Spoto

1 min read

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⚡ Quantum Brief

A Los Angeles jury ruled Meta and Google liable for a 20-year-old woman’s mental health crisis, finding their social media platforms—Instagram and YouTube—directly contributed to her addiction and subsequent psychological harm. The verdict marks the first successful case in a wave of lawsuits alleging tech giants intentionally design platforms to addict young users, prioritizing engagement over well-being and ignoring known risks. Plaintiff Kaley G.M. was awarded unspecified damages, setting a precedent for thousands of pending suits targeting algorithmic manipulation and its impact on youth mental health. Legal experts warn the ruling could expose Meta and Google to billions in liability, forcing redesigns of addictive features like infinite scroll and personalized recommendations. The case underscores growing regulatory pressure on Big Tech, with lawmakers and courts increasingly holding platforms accountable for harms tied to their design choices.

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Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas, Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information, news and insight around the worldAmericas+1 212 318 2000EMEA+44 20 7330 7500Asia Pacific+65 6212 1000Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas, Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information, news and insight around the worldAmericas+1 212 318 2000EMEA+44 20 7330 7500Asia Pacific+65 6212 1000Meta Platforms Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google were found liable and must pay damages to a 20-year-old woman who alleged that her addiction to the companies’ social media platforms caused her to suffer a mental health crisis, a jury said.The verdict Wednesday in Los Angeles is a victory for plaintiff Kaley G.M., and highlights the financial risk facing the companies from thousands of other suits which claim that Instagram and YouTube are intentionally designed to addict young users without regard for their well-being.

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Source: Bloomberg Technology

Website: https://feeds.bloomberg.com/technology/news.rss

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