Overview
- An L.A. jury found Meta and YouTube negligent for addictive design and awarded $6 million to a 20-year-old California plaintiff, assigning 70% of the liability to Meta and 30% to YouTube.
- Meta and Google said they will appeal the ruling, while TikTok and Snap avoided trial by settling with the plaintiff before proceedings began.
- A separate New Mexico jury ordered Meta to pay $375 million in a case alleging platform features let predators exploit children, setting up further appeals.
- Plaintiffs targeted features such as infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications and algorithmic recommendations, arguing these mechanics hook young users and sidestep Section 230’s content-based shield.
- Discovery highlighted internal research and memos, including whistleblower documents and a former Meta adviser’s testimony that leaders were warned about harms, as regulators in Europe probe “addictive design” under the Digital Services Act and thousands of U.S. suits line up.