A court case in America has set a precedent for claims against social media companies for harms caused by addiction to social platforms.
It is being described as social media’s ‘big tobacco moment’ that may open up further actions around the world and bring on more social media age laws, similar to those implemented in Australia.
The unprecedented win in a Los Angeles court comes after a young woman, known as Kaley, sued Meta and YouTube over her childhood addiction to social media. Similar cases against other social media companies were recently settled out of court.
Jurors found that Meta, which owns Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, and Google, owner of YouTube, “intentionally built addictive social media platforms that harmed the 20-year old’s mental health.” The court awarded US$3 million in damaged, with the possibliity of further punitive damages that could reach US$30 million and set a precedent for further claims.
Lawyers for Meta argued that while Kaley had suffered in her life, her use of Instagram did not cause or meaningfully contribute to those struggles. After the verdict, Meta said: “We respectfully disagree with the verdict and are evaluating our legal options.”
A spokesperson for Google said: “We disagree with the verdict and plan to appeal. This case misunderstands YouTube, which is a responsibly built streaming platform, not a social media site.”
Jurors found Meta to be 70% responsible for the plaintiff’s harm and YouTube was responsible for 30% of the total, meaning Meta will pay the majority of Kaley’s award.
In a similar case in New Mexico this week, a jury ruled that Meta must pay $375 million for violating New Mexico law in a child exploitation case. Attorney General Raúl Torrez said the state will be seeking further financial relief from Meta and changes to the platform.
Photo: Julianna Arnold, who founded the nonprofit Parents RISE after her daughter Coco died at the age of 17 in 2022, speaks to the media outside the court after the jury found Meta and Google liable in a key test case accusing Meta and Google‘s YouTube of harming children’s mental health through addictive social media platforms, in Los Angeles, California, U.S., March 25, 2026.
REUTERS/Mike Blake, licenced to radioinfo/radiotoday