BREAKING: Meta and YouTube Both Found Liable In Landmark Social Media Case

Social media companies Meta and YouTube were found liable in a Los Angeles lawsuit filed against them by a woman who claimed the platforms fed into her mental deterioration.

A decision was reached by the jury after 44 hours of deliberation over nine days among the 12 jurors. Meta and YouTube were the remaining defendants in the case after TikTok and Snap settled before the trial began. The jury awarded her $3 million, which Meta will cover 70% of and YouTube will cover 30% of. The verdict, analysts argued, pierces the Section 230 immunity protections social media companies have long enjoyed, giving them legal protection from lawsuits over content on their platforms.

At the center of the case is a 20-year-old woman identified as Kelly in documents. She and her lawyers accused the social media companies of feeding an addiction to technology and worsening her mental state. She was a minor at the time she said she was addicted to social media platforms. The lawsuit is the first of numerous similar lawsuits lobbed at social media companies.

A Meta spokesperson had denied that their platform is addictive or harmful or that it led to the plaintiff’s problem, pointing out “significant emotional and physical abuse” as the real reason for her struggles.

Judge Carolyn B. Kuhl presided over the trial.

This is the second landmark social media ruling in the last week. A New Mexico jury found Meta liable for $375 million after the state’s attorney general sued the company, accusing them of not providing proper warnings for users, especially minors, and for fostering a “breeding ground” for predators. Meta denied the accusations even after the jury decision.

“We respectfully disagree with the verdict and will appeal,” a spokesperson said about the New Mexico decision. “We work hard to keep people safe on our platforms and are clear about the challenges of identifying and removing bad actors or harmful content.”

This is a breaking story and it has been updated.

Watch above via Fox News.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!