'We're having a moment' - fear and denial in Silicon Valley over social media addiction trial
The landmark decision in an LA court may go beyond immediate impacts on defendants Meta and YouTube.
Coverage by Political Leaning
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Notable Quotes
"It was a clean sweep with respect to liability against both Google and Meta."
— Jayne Conroy , Executive
"The tech firms spend more on lobbying and more on PR than any other sector in the world."
— Bruce Daisley , Executive
""I had become 'addicted' to social media since I was a child.""
— Kaley (K.G.M.) , Other
"Social media companies deliberately design their platforms to keep kids hooked, consequences to their mental and physical health be damned. The momentum for change is no longer building. It's here."
— James P. Steyer , Activist
"She showed extraordinary courage bringing this case and telling her story in open court."
— Kaley , Activist
"she became addicted to YouTube at age six and Instagram at nine, which she said had deleterious effects on her wellbeing"
— KGM , Other
"How do you make a child never put down the phone? That’s called the engineering of addiction."
— KGM , Other
Key People
Former Twitter executive discussing the implications of tech firms' business models.
Founder and CEO of Common Sense Media.
Attorney for Kaley in the landmark social media addiction case.
A woman whose case against social media companies focused on the impact of social media on her mental health.
A young woman who took Meta and YouTube to court over social media addiction.
A 20-year-old plaintiff who testified about her social media addiction.
Tags
All Coverage
The landmark decision in an LA court may go beyond immediate impacts on defendants Meta and YouTube.
A jury found Meta and YouTube negligent in a trial concerning social media addiction, awarding $3 million in damages to a 20-year-old plaintiff who claimed the companies failed to warn users about the addictive nature of their platforms.
A Los Angeles jury found Meta and YouTube negligent in a social media addiction trial, awarding $3 million in compensatory damages to a young woman who alleged she became addicted to Instagram and YouTube as a child, leading to severe mental health issues.
In a landmark 2026 verdict, a Los Angeles jury found Meta and Google liable for designing addictive social media products and failing to warn users, ruling in favor of plaintiff KGM, a 20-year-old who testified that she became addicted to YouTube at age 6 and Instagram at 9.
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