Significant Ruling Against Meta and Google
A groundbreaking decision has declared Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta and Google’s parent company liable for contributing to teen social media addiction, potentially leading to increased legal scrutiny of Big Tech, critics warned.
Following nine days of deliberation, a jury in Los Angeles sided with a 20-year-old woman known as “KGM.” She argued that her addiction to platforms like Facebook and Instagram during her teenage years severely harmed her mental health.
The jury awarded her $3 million in damages.
This ruling could signal the onset of serious challenges for Meta and Google, which continue to navigate numerous lawsuits at both federal and state levels that may result in further penalties and new regulations, such as the Kids Online Safety Act currently being reviewed by Congress.
“Big Tech’s days of being untouchable are over. This ruling shakes the foundation of their predatory business strategies,” remarked Sasha Howarth, the executive director of the Tech Oversight Project, an online safety watchdog.
Howarth expressed concern that these platforms were engineered to harm and addict young people, leading to lasting mental health issues.
Jonathan Haidt, a critic of Big Tech and author of Anxious Generation, noted that the legal protections that have shielded social media firms are now effectively erased.
He stated, “These companies will face scrutiny like any other industry that knowingly jeopardizes children while deceiving the public. Future evaluations will compare them to the tobacco industry,” he shared on X.
Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), a staunch critic of Big Tech, labeled the ruling a “monumental victory for parents, children, families, and survivors.” She urged Congress to advance the Kids Online Safety Act, which seeks to prohibit targeted ads aimed at minors and restrict data collection without consent.
The verdict found that Meta and Google acted with malice and engaged in egregious conduct. The jury is expected to enter a second phase to discuss punitive damages, which could lead to even more severe financial repercussions for the companies.
KGM’s case centered on claims that social media applications were purposefully engineered to be addictive, employing features like “infinite scrolling” and video autoplay.
The trial featured testimonies from both Zuckerberg and Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri. Notably, during the proceedings, KGM’s legal team faced attempts from Mr. Mehta to limit inquiries regarding Zuckerberg’s extensive $231 billion wealth.
Mr. Mehta expressed disagreement with the judgment and mentioned that they are exploring legal avenues. Google also stated it intends to appeal, asserting that the case misrepresents YouTube as a social media platform.
In the summer, both Meta and Google are scheduled to appear in California federal court, part of a large-scale legal action consolidating over 2,000 lawsuits with similar allegations against various social media firms.
One trial involving multiple school districts is set for June, while a coalition of state attorneys general is slated for an August trial.
“This ruling sends a clear message: no company is exempt from its responsibilities regarding children,” stated the attorneys for the school districts concerning the KGM case.
The Los Angeles verdict was delivered just after Mr. Mehta faced a loss in New Mexico, where prosecutors claimed that Zuckerberg’s company exposed minors to inappropriate content online without adequately warning parents about associated risks.
In that case, Mehta was fined $375 million for breaching state laws.
