'We're having a moment' - fear and denial in Silicon Valley over social media addiction trial

The landmark decision in an LA court may go beyond immediate impacts on defendants Meta and YouTube.

A jury found Meta and YouTube negligent in a trial concerning social media addiction, awarding $3 million in damages to a 20-year-old plaintiff who claimed the companies failed to warn users about the addictive nature of their platforms.

A Los Angeles jury found Meta and YouTube negligent in a social media addiction trial, awarding $3 million in compensatory damages to a young woman who alleged she became addicted to Instagram and YouTube as a child, leading to severe mental health issues.

In a landmark 2026 verdict, a Los Angeles jury found Meta and Google liable for designing addictive social media products and failing to warn users, ruling in favor of plaintiff KGM, a 20-year-old who testified that she became addicted to YouTube at age 6 and Instagram at 9.