Jurors agreed with a 20-year-old California woman that Google and Meta are liable for psychological harms she suffered after becoming addicted to their platform
LOS ANGELES—A Los Angeles jury on March 25 found Google and Meta liable in a landmark social media addiction trial.
The case pitted a 20-year-old plaintiff identified as “Kaley G.M.” or “K.G.M” against Google and Meta, asking a jury whether the tech titans could be found liable for psychological harms she suffered as a result of an addiction to their apps, YouTube and Instagram, respectively.
The jury awarded $3 million in damages to the plaintiff, with 70 percent responsibility ascribed to Meta and 30 percent to YouTube. The jury also determined both companies had acted with malice, oppression, or fraud—meaning they will be subject to punitive damages.
The verdict, which came after nine days of deliberation, sets the stage for thousands of related lawsuits brought by parents, children, school districts, and attorneys general across the country, offering the first blueprint for how to argue such claims—and for what damages might be sought.
Snap and TikTok were also defendants in the trial. Both settled with the plaintiff before it began.
Over five weeks, attorneys sparred over competing narratives about the nature and impact of social media on young people’s brains, what company leaders knew and when, and what may have caused a young woman’s years-long psychological turmoil.
The 12 jurors sat mostly stone-faced through testimony from therapists and adolescent addiction experts, executives, engineers, and whistleblowers. They watched lawyers and experts pick apart Kaley’s lengthy medical records and sensitive family history, debating whether her mental health struggles were likely caused or worsened by a social media addiction or by a genetic disposition to mental illness and a chaotic family life marked by neglect and abuse.
The plaintiff testified that she began using YouTube at age 6, Instagram at age 9, and soon developed anxiety, depression, body dysmorphia, and other disorders. But she was hooked, at times spending 16 hours a day and returning even after incessant bullying, she said.
Nine out of 10 U.S. teens use YouTube; 73 percent say they use it daily, according to 2024 Pew Research Center data. Worldwide, YouTube is the most-watched app, followed closely by Instagram, with both estimated to have between 2 billion and 3 billion users.
