Jury finds Instagram, Google liable for negligence causing harm
A jury on Wednesday found Meta and YouTube negligent in designing or operating their platforms after a California teenager suffered severe social media-related injuries that led the lawsuit's filing by her parents, who were seeking damages for negligence under state law rather than federal statutes like Section 103 of Title IX.
Perspectives
A Los Angeles jury found Meta and Google liable, delivering what was described as unprecedented win against tech giants over a young woman's childhood addiction to social media.
— [Mar 25, 18:20] Discussion (Hacker News)In this first-of-its-kind lawsuit aimed at holding platforms responsible for harm to children using their services, the jury awarded $3 million in damages after more than four hours of deliberation.
— [Mar 25, 17:40] Feeds.bbci.co.ukThe verdict established that Meta and YouTube were negligent regarding both design or operation as well for failing to warn users about risks on their platforms which led to harmful addictive behavior in young people. This decision is considered a bellwether case.
— [Mar 25, 17:38] NBC News"We have been notified that the jury has reached verdict," an attorney for plaintiff said via email after jurors accused major social media companies of designing addictive platforms which harm children. The trial is set to be followed by similar cases against Instagram and TikTok.
— [Mar 25, 17:30] LivemintA Los Angeles jury found that Google's YouTube (30%) and Meta-owned Instagram/WhatsApp/Facebook collectively caused 70% of the harm leading a young woman to addiction, ruling against both companies' arguments. This unprecedented verdict assigns significant liability for intentionally building addictive platforms while excluding Snapchat from responsibility due to prior settlements with Kaley before trial began in February