Google, Meta Held Liable for Social Media Addiction

0:00It's March 25th. Welcome in. This is Sydney News Today, where local news meets AI. A Los Angeles jury just held Google and met a responsible for $3 million in damages to a 20-year-old woman in the first major social media addiction case. The verdict targets the parent companies behind YouTube and Instagram, marking a big win for claims that these platforms harm young users through. Addictive designs. The plaintiffs shared how she started on YouTube at age 6 and Instagram at 9, leading to all day use that damaged her mental health. After nine days of talks, jurors ruled both companies were negligent, knowing their services risked kids by failing to warn parents or users. Properly, plaintiffs lawyers hailed it as a wake-up call for the industry on accountability, while meta and Google pushed back, blaming her issues on family, troubles, and pointing to built-in safety tools. They also challenged her claim screen time, with records showing just over a minute a day on YouTube.

1:01This ruling could shape thousands of similar lawsuits across the US, building on years of pressure over child safety. Snap and TikTok already settled with her before trial, amid at least 20 states passing new laws last year to limit kids access and regulate school phone use. As Tech Giants review their next steps, expect more battles over platform designs and youth protection in the months ahead.