A California jury recently found Meta and YouTube liable for negligence on all counts, making it the most consequential lawsuit against the platforms to reach a verdict.
The case centered on Kaley, a now 20-year-old California woman who sued both companies, along with Snap and TikTok (the latter two settled before trial), alleging the platforms intentionally hooked her as a child, causing anxiety, body dysmorphia, and suicidal thoughts.
After seven weeks of testimony and eight days of deliberation, the jury agreed. Meta bears 70% of the responsibility for her harms, and YouTube bears 30%. The jury awarded $3 million in compensatory damages and an additional $3 million in punitive damages — $2.1 million from Meta and $900,000 from YouTube.
Both companies said that they would appeal. In their statements, Meta called teen mental health ‘profoundly complex’ and said it could not be linked to a single app. Google, on the other hand, argued that YouTube is a streaming platform, not a social media site, and that the case misunderstands what the product is.
The verdict arrived alongside roughly 1,500 similar cases waiting in the pipeline. Although the outcome doesn’t bind those cases, it could influence how juries are likely to receive them moving forward.
Parallely, school districts and state attorneys general have brought hundreds more lawsuits against the companies, alleging broader harms to students and public resources, with several set for trial later this year.
Internal documents that surfaced during the trial showed how Meta allowed beauty filters that manipulate a user’s appearance despite employees and outside experts raising concerns. Meta, for its part, argued that Kaley’s difficult childhood, not its platform, caused her mental health issues. Her lawyer countered that a difficult childhood only raised the companies’ obligation to protect her.
Kaley was in the courtroom when the verdict was read. So were the parents of other teenagers, they say, who were harmed by social media.
Meanwhile, the day before the Los Angeles verdict, a separate New Mexico jury found Meta liable for violating the state’s consumer protection laws and failing to protect children from sexual predators.