California Jury Finds Meta, YouTube Liable for Social Media Addiction

Ryan J. Farrick — March 25, 2026

Photo by Tracy Le Blanc from Pexels

The high-profile trial, which began last month in Los Angeles and featured testimony from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, was the first in a group of consolidated claims against social media companies. These lawsuits represent more than 1,600 plaintiffs, consisting of over 350 families and about 250 school districts.

A California jury has found Meta and YouTube liable for negligence in the design or operation of their platforms, leading to the creation of social media spaces that produce and enable problematic use.

According to NBC News, the outcome represents a “bellwether verdict” in the first-ever lawsuit to take social media companies to trial for addiction. In its decision, the Los Angeles County Superior Court jury said that Meta and YouTube’s negligence were a substantial factor in causing harm to the plaintiff, who has been identified in court documents by the initials K.G.M. Furthermore, the jury said that technology companies broadly failed to warn users of the dangers associated with Meta-owned Instagram and Google-owned YouTube.

The jury ultimately awarded K.G.M. $3 million in compensatory damages, finding Meta 70% responsible for harm to the now-20-year-old plaintiff. YouTube’s share of liability was fixed at the remaining 30%.

The high-profile trial, which began last month in Los Angeles and featured testimony from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, was the first in a group of consolidated claims against social media companies. These lawsuits represent more than 1,600 plaintiffs, consisting of over 350 families and about 250 school districts.

Although the other claims remain pending, some families outside the courtroom told reporters they now feel “vindicated.”

Facebook founder and Meta CEO Mark Zuckberberg in 2018. Image via Wikimedia Commons/user: Anthony Quintano. (CCA-BY-2.0).

Spokespeople for both Meta and Google, in contrast, have shared that their employers disagree with the jury’s decision.

“Teen mental health is profoundly complex and cannot be linked to a single app,” a Meta spokesperson said. “We will continue to defend ourselves vigorously as every case is different, and we remain confident in our record of protecting teens online.”

Jose Casteada, a spokesman for Google, reiterated that company’s defense, saying that the lawsuit “misunderstands YouTube, which is a responsibly built streaming platform, not a social media company.”

Throughout the course of the lawsuit, YouTube insisted that its platform is fundamentally different from social media applications like Instagram and Facebook, with YouTube prioritizing shared content and offering fewer opportunities for interaction with other users.

Attorneys for K.G.M., though, say the case’s outcome “is a historic moment” for young adults and families who have been harmed by social media addiction.

“But this verdict is bigger than one case,” her attorney 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.”

Mark Lanier, lead attorney for K.G.M., also said that he hopes that proceedings produce more transparency “so that the public can see that these companies have been orchestrating an addiction crisis in our country and, actually, the world.”