The case is seen as the first test of the long-running debate over the regulation of social media companies in the US and the addiction they have been derailing.
We use Google Cloud Translation Services. Google requires we provide the following disclaimer relating to use of this service:
This service may contain translations powered by Google. Google disclaims all warranties related to the translations, expressed or implied, including any warranties of accuracy, reliability, and any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and noninfringement.
A jury in Los Angeles Superior Court in the US has found social media giants Meta and YouTube guilty in a social media addiction case. The two platforms have also been ordered to pay 6 million (US$6 million) in damages to victims. The verdict, which came on Wednesday, found that both companies put users at risk through the design of their platforms and failed to provide adequate warnings.
The jury trial, the first of its kind in such a case, found that Meta should pay 70 percent of the fine and YouTube 30 percent, concluding that “the companies’ negligence was a major factor in the harm suffered by the victims,” Reuters reported .
The 20-year-old woman who filed the lawsuit against the companies, Kelly, claimed that she had developed depression and anxiety problems after starting to use YouTube and Instagram as a child. The victim’s lawyers argued that features such as infinite scrolling and auto-play were deliberately designed to keep users hooked for long periods of time. Other defendants in the case, TikTok and Snapchat, settled out of court for damages.
The social media companies said they would respect the verdict but would appeal it. Meta argued that users’ mental health is affected by various factors and noted that its security measures are strong . YouTube has also claimed that its platforms are not harmful. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri appeared in court to testify in the case. Reuters analysts called the decision a rare legal blow for big tech companies. They said the ruling against the two giants was a sign of growing regulatory pressure on the technology industry. The BBC's technology journalist Regan Harris called it historic. "There's another federal case coming up next June, and today's ruling is just a small part of it," she said.
The decision is expected to have an impact on thousands of similar cases. More than 1,600 complaints have been filed in the US state of California alone about social media addiction and its negative effects. More than 2,400 lawsuits have been filed in federal courts against companies including Meta. Complaints have also started to be received in the European Union, including France, Italy, the UK, and Spain, about the negative effects of social media on children, along with the psychological effects.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, a jury trial in New Mexico, USA, ordered Meta to pay a fine of 375 million US dollars for failing to protect children on its platform. The Washington Post believes that these decisions by the courts in Los Angeles and New Mexico could expose big tech companies to long-term legal and financial risks and pave the way for stricter regulation in the future.
