Jury Finds Meta, Google Negligent in Landmark Social Media Harm Trial
Updated
Updated · Bloomberg · Jun 2
Jury Finds Meta, Google Negligent in Landmark Social Media Harm Trial
3 articles · Updated · Bloomberg · Jun 2
A Los Angeles jury in March found Meta Platforms and Google negligent in designing and operating social media platforms in the first youth-harm lawsuit to reach trial.
The case centered on claims that the companies engineered their platforms to be hard to resist, causing serious harm to young users.
That verdict is seen as a landmark test for a growing wave of lawsuits against social media companies filed in recent years.
Several more trials are planned this year, and additional losses could push Meta and Google toward settlement talks, drawing comparisons with Big Tobacco's addiction litigation.
After social media, could the online gaming industry be next to face lawsuits for addicting young users?
Big Tobacco paid billions for addicting users. Is Big Tech facing its own multi-billion dollar public health reckoning?
Social media is now a 'defective product.' What would a non-addictive version of Instagram or TikTok even look like?
$6 Million Verdict Against Meta and Google Sparks Wave of Lawsuits and Global Regulation Over Addictive Social Media Design
Overview
In June 2026, a Los Angeles jury delivered a landmark verdict holding Meta and Google liable for negligently designing addictive social media platforms. The case centered on Kaley, who struggled with addiction to features like infinite scroll, beauty filters, and constant notifications from a young age. The jury awarded her $6 million in damages, assigning 70% responsibility to Meta and 30% to Google, and found evidence of malice, oppression, or fraud in their conduct. This verdict highlights growing legal and public scrutiny over how tech giants design their platforms and the impact on users’ mental health.