Important:
- $3M was awarded to a 20-year plaintiff. This is not a class action lawsuit.
- There are more lawsuits that have 1,600+ plaintiffs.
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A jury found Meta and YouTube negligent in the design or operation of their social media platforms, producing a bellwether verdict in the first lawsuit to take tech giants to trial for social media addiction.
The jury stated that Meta’s and YouTube’s negligence were a substantial factor in causing harm to the plaintiff, identified in court by her initials, K.G.M., and that the companies failed to adequately warn users of the dangers of Instagram (Meta’s platform) and YouTube (which is owned by Google).
They awarded K.G.M. $3 million in compensatory damages, finding Meta 70% responsible for harm caused to the now 20-year-old plaintiff, and YouTube responsible for 30%.
The trial, which began last month in a Los Angeles County courtroom and included testimony from tech executives including Mark Zuckerberg, was the first in a consolidated group of cases brought against that company and others by more than 1,600 plaintiffs, including over 350 families and over 250 school districts.
Outside the courtroom, families who say their children were harmed by social media embraced as they celebrated the verdict, telling reporters that they feel “vindicated.”
“We respectfully disagree with the verdict and are evaluating our legal options,” a Meta spokesperson said in a statement.
José Castañeda, a spokesperson for Google, also stated that the company disagrees with the verdict and plans to appeal.
“This case misunderstands YouTube, which is a responsibly built streaming platform, not a social media site,” Castañeda said in a statement.
In a joint statement, co-lead counsel for K.G.M. said the verdict is “a historic moment” for thousands of children and their families.
“But this verdict is bigger than one case,” the lawyers said. “For years, social media companies have profited from targeting children while concealing their addictive and dangerous design features. Today’s verdict is a referendum — from a jury, to an entire industry — that accountability has arrived.”
h/t callsonreddit