A jury in a California court found Google and Meta liable for causing social media addiction. A 20-year-old plaintiff was awarded $3 million (~ RM20 million) after claiming that YouTube and Instagram had caused him addiction since he was a child.
The plaintiff claimed that he had been using YouTube since he was 6 years old and Instagram since he was 9 years old, which led to him being addicted to them all day long. Google and Meta were accused of using app designs that “attracted” young users, such as endlessly scrolling timelines, auto-play features and endless notifications.
They failed to warn about the risks of addiction despite knowing that their platforms were dangerous to children. Snap and TikTok were also originally sued but settled out of court before the trial began.
The decision is expected to influence thousands of other cases against technology companies in the United States. It is an unwelcome decision for the two tech giants at a time when several states in the United States and several countries including Malaysia want to block access to social media to minors.
Meta said it disagreed with the decision and is evaluating legal options. Meanwhile, Google insists there are built-in security features in the app and disputes allegations of excessive use.
