Overview
- Two juries this week found Meta liable in New Mexico and Meta with YouTube liable in Los Angeles, awarding $375 million and $6 million with Meta assigned 70 percent in the LA case.
- Meta and Google said they will appeal, while the New Mexico case now moves to a May court phase where the attorney general seeks real age checks, algorithm changes, and an independent monitor.
- Plaintiffs targeted features such as infinite scroll, autoplay, push alerts, recommendation feeds, and social validation tools rather than user posts, a strategy that sidesteps broad Section 230 content shields.
- The outcomes raise the stakes for thousands of pending cases, including more than 2,400 consolidated in California, and a recent Delaware ruling could leave Meta covering its own defense costs.
- New actions are already emerging as Los Angeles Unified filed suit against major platforms, and advocates and lawmakers push for stricter design rules and more transparency to protect teens.