Meta, Google face major defeats in social media addiction trials

Social media addiction lawsuits overview:

• Who: A California jury found Meta and Google liable for social media addiction, while a New Mexico jury ordered Meta to pay hundreds of millions in civil penalties.
• Why: Jurors found the companies hid the scope of mental health harms, acted with “malice” and failed to protect minors from sexual predation and bullying.
• Where: Verdicts were delivered in the Los Angeles County Superior Court and the First Judicial District Court of New Mexico.
• How to get help: Have you or your child been affected by compulsive social media use? You may qualify to join a social media lawsuit.

Tech giants Meta and Google suffered significant legal setbacks as two separate juries delivered multi-million-dollar verdicts over the companies’ alleged failure to protect underage users. These landmark decisions marked a turning point in thousands of consolidated lawsuits regarding social media addiction and its impact on teen mental health.

In a significant blow to the tech industry, a Los Angeles jury found Meta and Google liable for the mental health struggles of plaintiff Kaley G.M., who became addicted to Instagram and YouTube as a child. 

The jury awarded a total of $6 million in damages, which included $3 million in compensatory damages and $3 million in punitive damages.

The jury found both companies acted with “malice, fraud or oppression,” a finding that opens substantial litigation exposure as they face thousands of similar cases. Liability was split between the defendants. 

The jury determined Instagram was 70% responsible and YouTube 30% responsible for the plaintiff’s harm, ordering Meta to pay $2.1 million in punitive damages and Google $900,000.

According to a Law360 report, jurors said they were unimpressed by the testimony of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, with one juror stating that his changing testimony “didn’t sit well” with the group. 

While Google argued YouTube is a “responsibly built streaming platform,” the jury found both platforms were negligent in their design and failed to warn users of potential harms.

New Mexico jury levies $375 million penalty against Meta 

Just one day prior to the California verdict, a New Mexico jury ordered Meta to pay $375 million over claims brought by New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez that the company hid the full scope of mental health harm its platforms caused to underage users.

The jury awarded $187.5 million for unfair practices and $187.5 million for unconscionable acts.

The verdict was based on 37,500 violations for each claim, with a $5,000 civil penalty per violation, the statutory maximum.

Torrez argued that Meta’s 2016 shift toward engagement-based algorithms led directly to “problematic use” and social media addiction. 

The state alleged Meta failed to adequately protect teens from sexual predation and bullying, ignored internal warnings about harmful content regarding suicide and self-injury and took no meaningful action to keep users under the age of 13 off its platforms, Law360 reports.

Social media addiction verdicts could open door to more litigation

Meta and Google have both expressed disagreement with the verdicts and intend to appeal. Meta said it has 40,000 employees working on safety and that it removes the “vast majority” of harmful content. 

Despite the appeals, the outcomes of these bellwether trials are expected to provide “realistically solid numbers” for future settlement negotiations.

Plaintiff’s attorneys indicated that the legal outcomes are intended to ensure the companies are held responsible for the negative consequences resulting from their platform designs.

The verdict could open the door to significant litigation exposure for the companies, which face thousands of similar lawsuits nationwide, according to Law360.

What do you think of the verdicts in these two cases? Let us know in the comments.

The Meta and Google social media addiction lawsuit is Social Media Cases, Lead Case No. 22STCV21355, in the Los Angeles County Superior Court, and the Meta social media lawsuit is New Mexico v. Meta Platforms Inc., et al., Case No. D-101-CV-2023-02838, in the First Judicial District Court of New Mexico.

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