Social Media Addiction Lawsuit: US Jury Finds Meta and Google Guilty

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In a landmark trial concerning social media addiction, a jury in Los Angeles has ordered US tech giants Google and Meta to pay three million US dollars in damages. The compensation sum could increase subsequently. Above all, the verdict is likely to be groundbreaking for thousands of similar lawsuits against tech companies.

After nine days of hearings, the Californian jurors decided that Google's YouTube and Meta's Instagram had acted negligently in the design or operation of their platforms. The negligence of the two companies was also a significant factor in the damage claimed by the plaintiff. This was reported on Wednesday, among others, by the US news agency Associated Press (AP).

"Infinite Scrolling" as an Addiction Factor

The lawsuit was filed by a now 20-year-old woman who, in the proceedings, appeared only under the initials KGM. She stated that she had become addicted at a young age through the use of social media and due to the specific designs of YouTube and Instagram, and that her psychological problems had worsened. According to her own account, the woman started using the platforms as a child. This led to depression and anxiety. She argued that the online platforms had specifically designed their services to make users addicted. This includes, for example, the function that allows users to continuously scroll to the next post, so-called "infinite scrolling".

Meta argued in the proceedings that the plaintiff had struggled with psychological problems independently of her social media use. None of her therapists had identified social media as the cause of her psychological problems. However, according to AP, the plaintiff did not have to prove that social media had caused her problems – it was sufficient that it was a "significant factor" in her damage. The YouTube lawyers, in turn, argued that YouTube is not a form of social media but a video platform similar to television. They pointed to the decreasing YouTube consumption with the plaintiff's increasing age. The lawyers for both platforms also referred to the safety features available to users to monitor and adjust their own usage.

Plaintiff's Argument Convinces the Jury

However, ten out of twelve jurors found the plaintiff's arguments plausible and held the platforms liable. Meta and YouTube knew that the design or functionality of their platforms was dangerous and that minors would likely be endangered by their use, according to the verdict. The jurors also stated that the platforms had not adequately warned of the danger, which further increased the plaintiff's damage. In their opinion, Meta bears the larger share of responsibility with 70 percent, and YouTube the remaining 30 percent. TikTok and Snapchat, which were also sued, had reached an out-of-court settlement before the trial began.

Naturally, the plaintiff's side was pleased with the jury's verdict. "Today's verdict is a referendum – from a jury to an entire industry – that accountability is now a reality," explained the lead attorney for the plaintiff's side in a statement. Meta's lawyers, on the other hand, stated that they were examining legal options for an appeal against the verdict, a company spokesperson told the news agency Reuters. Google initially made no comment.

Precedent for Further Proceedings

Observers consider the verdict a precedent for thousands of similar lawsuits against social media companies concerning the safety of children and adolescents. The question is whether companies are making their users addicted and spreading content that leads to depression, eating disorders, or suicide. According to Reuters, the US Congress has refused to pass comprehensive legislation to regulate social media, causing the debate to shift to courts and state governments. An increasing number of US states are enacting laws regarding children's social media use. These laws include regulations on mobile phone use in schools and require users to verify their age when opening a social media account.

Stricter rules for minors' social media use are also being increasingly discussed in Germany following the Australian ban on social media for under-16s. The German CDU decided in February to introduce a minimum age of 14 for social media like TikTok and Instagram to protect children and adolescents. Coalition partner SPD also appears open to a social media ban for children under 14. Meanwhile, Federal Minister of Education Karin Prien expects European regulations for tech corporations to be implemented quickly to restrict children's and adolescents' access to social media.

(akn)