LA verdict holds social media giants accountable for addictive features
By Emma
Published on March 25, 2026.
A Los Angeles jury has found social media companies Meta and YouTube liable for harming a young user through addictive design features that significantly damaged her mental health. The case, brought by 20-year-old K.G.M., accused the companies of developing products as addictive as cigarettes or digital casinos. The jury awarded K.M $3 million in compensatory damages, split between the two companies: $2.1 million from Meta and $900,000 from YouTube. This is the first case to hold tech companies accountable for design harms to minors. In a separate trial, a New Mexico jury found that Meta violated the state's consumer protection laws by paying $375 million in civil penalties.
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