Court finds Meta and Google built intentionally addictive platforms

A court in the United States has awarded $6m (£4.5m) in damages to a woman who said her mental health had been impacted by a childhood addiction to social media.

Jurors in Los Angeles found the woman, known as Kaley, should receive $3m in compensatory damages and an additional $3m in punitive damages after determining Facebook owner Meta and Google, which owns YouTube, “acted with malice, oppression, or fraud”.

The ruling is likely to have huge implications, with other families considering bringing forward their own legal actions.

Both Meta and Google said they disagreed with the decision and intended to appeal.

Meta said: “Teen mental health is profoundly complex and cannot be linked to a single app.

“We will continue to defend ourselves vigorously as every case is different, and we remain confident in our record of protecting teens online.”

A spokesperson for Google said: “This case misunderstands YouTube, which is a responsibly built streaming platform, not a social media site.”

Kaley had said she started using Instagram – which is owned by Meta – aged nine and YouTube aged six.

She said she was 10 when she started experiencing anxiety and depression, which she would be later diagnosed with alongside body dysmorphia.

Snap and TikTok were also initially defendants in the case, but both companies reached undisclosed settlements with Kaley before the trial.

Last year, Australia became the first country in the world to introduce a social media ban for children under the age of 16.

The UK Government has announced a six-week pilot involving 300 teenagers which will look at how social media bans, digital curfews and time limits on apps affect young people’s day-to-day lives.

Reacting to the US verdict, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the status quo was “not good enough” and more needed to be done to protect children.