Overview
- The Los Angeles jury, which delivered its verdict Wednesday, found Meta 70% and YouTube 30% liable and awarded $6 million to a 20-year-old plaintiff, with both companies saying they will appeal.
- Plaintiffs attacked product design rather than content, citing infinite scroll, autoplay, algorithmic recommendations, notifications and beauty filters to avoid Section 230’s content shield.
- TikTok and Snap settled before jurors were seated, while testimony described internal warnings, including claims that Mark Zuckerberg kept beauty filters over expert objections.
- The decision followed a separate New Mexico jury’s $375 million award against Meta under state consumer law, adding new legal pressure that could shape similar cases.
- Appeals could test First Amendment and Section 230 issues, as regulators in the EU and countries such as Austria move to curb addictive features and restrict youth access.