Meta and YouTube Ordered to Pay $6 Million in Addiction Lawsuit

A jury in Los Angeles has ruled that the designs of social media platform Meta and video streaming site YouTube are addictive, awarding a woman $6 million in damages. According to RTHK, both companies have expressed disagreement with the verdict and plan to appeal. The 20-year-old plaintiff stated that she began using YouTube and Meta's Instagram at ages six and nine, respectively, without being restricted due to her age. She recalled that her usage led to reduced interaction with family and friends, and by age ten, she experienced anxiety and depression, becoming overly concerned with her appearance due to Instagram's filter features. Her lawyer noted that she once used Instagram for over 16 hours in a single day. Meta responded by emphasizing the complexity of adolescent mental health issues, arguing that they cannot be solely attributed to any single application. The company intends to vigorously defend its position, asserting confidence in its track record of protecting teenagers online. A spokesperson for Google, which owns YouTube, stated that the case misinterprets YouTube's role, describing it as a responsible streaming platform rather than a social media platform.