California Jury Rules Meta, YouTube Caused Harmful Social Media Addiction
The jury decided to award $3 million in damages to the lead plaintiff, a woman named Kaley, referred to in court documents by her initials KGM.
Kaley claimed that her use of Instagram and YouTube from grade school led to compulsive use of the platforms, contributing to mental health struggles such as depression, suicidal thoughts, and body dysmorphia, where she constantly worried about perceived flaws in her appearance.
During her testimony, now 20, Kaley described spending entire days on social media, experiencing an emotional “rush” from likes and notifications that kept her glued to her phone. Her legal team described the platforms as “a gateway” to her addiction.
The verdict concludes a weeks-long trial that featured testimony from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram head Adam Mosseri defending their platforms, in a case often compared to tobacco industry lawsuits of the 1990s.
Kaley filed her lawsuit against Meta, which owns Instagram and Facebook, and YouTube, owned by Google, in 2023. TikTok and Snapchat’s parent company, Snap, were included in the original lawsuit but reached out-of-court settlements before the trial began in late January.
Throughout the proceedings, Kaley’s attorney, Mark Lanier, argued that Meta and YouTube were aware their social media products caused harm to children but continued to prioritize profits over safety.
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