Social Media Giants Held Liable for User's Addiction

0:00On March 25, a California jury has ruled that meta and YouTube are liable for harming a young user through their platform designs, marking the first, verdict of its kind against big social media companies. The 20-year-old plaintiff claimed heavy childhood use led to addiction and worsened her mental health issues, and the jury awarded her three. Million dollars in damages after more than 40 hours of deliberation over nine days. The decision found both companies negligent in how they built their apps, with features like endless feeds and auto-play playing a key role in hooking. Kids Jurors also determined the firms acted with malice, so they'll soon consider punitive damages that could boost the total award significantly. TikTok and Snap had already settled before the trial. Company statements pushed back hard, with meta-calling the ruling wrong and planning legal next steps, while pointing to the woman's separate family. Judges and safety tools are already in place. Her lawyers focused on proving platform flaws as a major factor in her struggles, without

1:02blaming specific content, thanks to legal protections. This bell-weather case could sway thousands of similar lawsuits against social media giants, bringing internal company documents into the spotlight for. The first time. Experts draw parallels to past fights against tobacco and opioids, as families keep pressing for more child safety changes. With punitive awards still ahead and appeals likely, this verdict spotlights growing pressure on tech platforms to rethink how they engage young. Users That's the story for today. Global News Today Driven by AI I'm Corey with The Story