Mohan Sinha
29 Mar 2026, 01:11 GMT+10
LOS ANGELES, California: In a US$6 million verdict that will serve as a bellwether for numerous similar cases, Meta and Alphabet's Google were found negligent by a jury for designing social media platforms that are harmful to young people.
Meta was found liable for $4.2 million in damages, and Google for $1.8 million, small amounts for two of the world's most valuable companies, each with annual capital spending over $100 billion.
The case is about a 20-year-old woman, known in court only by her first name, Kaley, who was a minor when the case started. She said she became addicted to YouTube (by Google) and Instagram (by Meta) at a young age because of features designed to keep users hooked, like "infinite scroll," which keeps showing new posts.
The jury found that Google and Meta were careless in how they designed these apps and failed to warn users about the risks.
The woman's lawyer said the decision sends a strong message to the entire industry that companies will now be held responsible.
Google and Meta disagree with the decision and plan to challenge it in a higher court.
After the news, Meta's shares rose slightly by 0.3 percent, and Alphabet (Google's parent company) went up by 0.2 percent.
In the U.S., laws usually protect social media companies from being held liable for content on their platforms, but this case focused on how the apps were designed rather than the content itself.
An analyst said this decision is a setback for both companies. He added that the legal process may take a long time with more cases and appeals, but it could eventually force companies to add safety measures, which might slow their growth.
Snap and TikTok were also part of the case, but they reached private settlements with the woman before the trial began. The details of those settlements were not shared.
Get a daily dose of Irish Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Irish Sun.
More InformationLOS ANGELES, California: In a US$6 million verdict that will serve as a bellwether for numerous similar cases, Meta and Alphabet's...
PARIS, France: The Paris offices of Swiss bank Edmond de Rothschild were searched late last week as part of an inquiry into alleged...
LONDON, U.K.: The Church of England got its first female spiritual leader of 85 million Anglicans worldwide when Sarah Mullally was...
NEW DELHI, India: U.S. President Donald Trump called Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the week and discussed the situation...
SANTA FE, New Mexico: A New Mexico jury has ordered Meta Platforms to pay US$375 million in civil penalties after finding the company...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: A flight attendant who remained strapped in her seat when she was thrown out of the Air Canada jet that collided...
PARIS/STOCKHOLM: Surging petrol prices linked to the war in Iran are accelerating demand for used electric vehicles across Europe,...
DUBLIN, Ireland: A schoolgirl sent a female teacher dozens of distressing threats and sexualised content before a Garda search uncovered...
PARIS, France: The Paris offices of Swiss bank Edmond de Rothschild were searched late last week as part of an inquiry into alleged...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: Estee Lauder is in discussions with Spanish beauty group Puig over a potential merger that could reshape the...
CANBERRA, Australia: Australia and the European Union have finalised a long-awaited trade agreement, lowering tariffs on most goods...
DUBLIN, Ireland: A historic city council-owned building next to the former vegetable market in the north inner city of Dublin has been...
