A state court jury in California found Meta Platforms and YouTube are liable for causing the mental health problems suffered by the 20-year-old plaintiff in a lawsuit alleging social media’s role in the deterioration of mental health of young people and must pay a total of $6 million in damages.
A state court jury in California found Meta Platforms and YouTube are liable for causing the mental health problems suffered by the 20-year-old plaintiff in a lawsuit alleging social media’s role in the deterioration of mental health of young people. The 12 person jury found Meta and YouTube negligently designed or operated Instagram and YouTube, and that such negligence is a substantial factor in causing harm to the plaintiff, known as Kaley or K.G.M. The verdict was reached after nine days of deliberation. But the jury was split, according to the plaintiff's lawyers, with 10 jurors finding in favor of the plaintiffs and two in favor of Meta and YouTube.
The jury awarded the plaintiff $3 million damages, $2.1 million to be paid by Meta and $900,00 by YouTube. During a penalty phase Wednesday, the jury awarded the same amount in punitive damages, with the same proportions to be paid by the respective companies*.
As the first in a series of trials that Meta, YouTube, Snap and TikTok will face this year and that could shape the future of social media, the five-week trial in Los Angeles was one of the highest-stake legal tests in tech history, featuring testimony by Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other senior executives.
K.G.M.’s case challenged the “attention economy” that generates advertising revenue by maximizing the amount of time people spend watching videos and other content on platforms such as Instagram and YouTube, with the plaintiffs comparing the social media industry to the conduct of tobacco companies in using addiction to drive profits.
This was the first bellwether trial in a series of cases brought by individual plaintiffs against the social media giants; other addictive design trials brought by state attorneys general and a school district lie ahead later this year. A parallel trial against Meta on online safety and addictive design claims by New Mexico’s attorney general also resulted in a verdict with a jury in Santa Fe finding Meta liable for violating its state consumer protection law on Tuesday (see here).
The Los Angeles jury found the companies knew or should reasonably have known that the design or operation of their apps was dangerous or was likely to be dangerous when used by a minor and that they failed to adequately warn of the danger. They also found the companies acted with malice, oppression or fraud.
K.G.M.’s lawsuit is one of thousands of similar lawsuits filed against social media companies filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court against the four social media giants. Eight other bellwether trials, which could shape a global settlement about how social media is used by minors, lie ahead in Los Angeles.
Snap and TikTok settled K.G.M.’s allegations against them before the trial started in early February, while Meta and YouTube decided to go to trial.
K.G.M. argued that the design features of Instagram and YouTube, such as infinite scroll and autoplay, caused her to be addicted to the apps, which then exacerbated her depression, anxiety, body dysmorphia, and other mental health problems.
Meta and YouTube argued that the plaintiff’s problems were mainly caused by external factors, including divorce and verbal abuse within K.G.M.’s family, conflicts with family members, academic challenges, and social struggles in real life.
*Updated at 20:04 GMT on March 25, 2026: Adds punitive damages decision.
Please email editors@mlex.com to contact the editorial staff regarding this story, or to submit the names of lawyers and advisers.