A jury has ordered Meta and Google to pay $3 million to a 20-year-old woman who said she developed an addiction to Instagram and YouTube as a child.
According to Variety, jurors found both companies liable for product design features that harmed the plaintiff’s mental health. The woman, identified as Kaley G.M., testified that the platforms replaced her hobbies and contributed to anxiety, depression, and body dysmorphia.
The jury assigned 70 percent of the damages to Meta and 30 percent to Google.
The case marks the first of thousands of similar lawsuits targeting Big Tech over alleged social media addiction to reach trial, serving as a key test for how future claims may unfold.