Meta and YouTube designed addictive products that harmed young people, jury finds

Jury in Los Angeles awards plaintiff damages of $6m, with Meta to pay 70% and YouTube the remainder

Meta has said it will appeal the rulings in Los Angeles and in New Mexico. In response to the California case’s verdict, a spokesperson for Meta said the company is confident of its protection of teens online. Picture: Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images)

Meta and YouTube have been found liable for deliberately designing addictive products that hooked a young user and led to her being harmed, a jury ruled on Wednesday. Jurors found the tech companies to be both negligent and having failed to provide adequate warnings about the potential dangers of their products.

The jury awarded the plaintiff in the case damages of $6m, with Meta to pay 70% and YouTube the remainder. It took nearly nine days of deliberations for the Los Angeles jury to reach its verdict. This lawsuit, over social media’s alleged harm to young people, was the first of its kind to go to trial.