Social Media Giants Held Liable for Addiction

0:00It's March 25th. This is Vancouver News today, local news powered by AI. A jury in Los Angeles has held Meta and Google responsible in a first of its kind lawsuit over social media addiction. The 20-year-old plaintiff received $3 million in damages plus another $3 million in punitive awards after jurors found THE. Companies negligent in designing addictive features on Instagram and YouTube. Meta was deemed 70% at fault while Google took the remaining 30% blame. The young woman claimed she began using YouTube at age 6 and Instagram at 9, leading to issues like anxiety, depression, and body dysmorphia. Her lawyers focused on platform tools such as endless scrolling and push notifications that hook young users. TikTok and Snapchat settled with her before trial, but faced other similar cases. During the month-long trial, top executives from Meta, including Instagram's head and the CEO, testified alongside mental health experts.

1:02The jury voted 10-to-2 on liability, rejecting defenses that blamed other life factors for her struggles. Both companies planned to appeal the decision. Meta called the verdict misguided, and Google stressed YouTube as a streaming service, not social media. The plaintiff's team hailed it as a clear warning to tech firms. This ruling could reshape dozens of ongoing lawsuits against social media giants, pushing for safer designs to protect kids developing minds.