A California jury has declared that social media giants Meta and YouTube were liable for harming a young woman by designing their platforms to be addictive.
The verdict could affect many more cases.
A landmark trial against Meta and YouTube in California ended with a jury finding the social media companies liable over addictive design.
The plaintiff was awarded $3 million (€2.6 million) in damages.
The amount is likely to grow, however, as the jurors found the companies acted with malice.
They are expected to hear new evidence and then retire once again to consider punitive damages.
"Today's verdict is a referendum — from a jury, to an entire industry — that accountability has arrived," the plaintiff's lead counsel said in a statement.
The plaintiff, a 20-year-old woman, said her mental health was harmed due to using social media as a child and growing addicted to it.
Internet addiction: When life is only online
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She also sought damages from Snap, the developers of Snapchat, and China's TikTok.
Those companies, however, settled with the plaintiff before going to trial.
The terms of those settlements were not released to the public.
Social media 'hooks' in the spotlight
Meta is the owner of multiple social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.
"We respectfully disagree with the verdict and are evaluating our legal options," Meta said in a statement following the Wednesday decision.
Google, the owner of YouTube, did not immediately comment.
During the widely publicized trial, the woman's lawyers pointed to design features aimed to "hook" users, including the option of infinite scrolling, autoplay features and notifications.
Zuckerberg's Meta still reeling from New Mexico case
Social media companies are facing backlash in the US and all over the world, litigating multiple suits and dealing with new laws restricting social media use for children .
The latest verdict comes hot on the heels of a case in New Mexico, where a jury found Meta liable in a child safety lawsuit .
The company was ordered to pay $375 million (roughly €323 million) in civil penalties.
US jury fines Meta in landmark child‑safety case
Meta signaled it would appeal the New Mexico decision.
The company, helmed by US billionaire and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, is currently valued at about $1.5 trillion.
Zuckerberg appeared as a witness in the Los Angeles trial last month.
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Source: This article was originally published by Deutsche Welle (DW)
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