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A California jury has found Meta and YouTube negligent in designing platforms that harmed a young user, ordering Meta to pay $4.2 million and YouTube to pay $1.8 million in combined compensatory and punitive damages, in what is being called a landmark verdict in social media addiction litigation.
Seeger Weiss Founding Partner Christopher Seeger serves as Counsel to the Co-Lead Counsel and Settlement Counsel in the Social Media Adolescent Addiction / Personal Injury Products Liability Litigation, representing thousands of children and families harmed by social media platforms. The verdict comes from a parallel California-based federal case and is a significant sign of strength for the MDL, which is expected to go to trial this year.
The jury, seated in the California Superior Court in Los Angeles County, found that addictive design features, including infinite scroll, algorithmic recommendations, and autoplay video, caused anxiety, depression, and body dysmorphia in the plaintiff, now 20 years old.
The case is one of thousands of lawsuits filed against social media companies by teenagers, families, school districts, and state attorneys general. TikTok and Snap settled with the plaintiff before trial. The verdict validates that platform design choices can constitute personal injury and is expected to shape similar cases in the MDL headed to trial this year.
“This verdict is a testament to the courage of the plaintiff and her family, and to the exceptional work of Mark Lanier and the trial team that brought her story to light,” said Seeger. “The evidence is clear: Meta and YouTube knowingly designed features in their platforms to hook young users and then looked the other way as those choices caused profound harm to children. These companies have an opportunity to make meaningful changes to how their platforms operate, and resolve claims from the thousands of children, families, and communities they have harmed. Until they do, this is the outcome they can expect for the foreseeable future.”
Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome in any future matter.