Meta, YouTube Found Liable in US Social Media Addiction Case

Deutsche Welle

Publish : 26 Mar 2026, 10:33 AM

Meta said it was evaluating legal options following the California verdict. Photo: REUTERS

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 for designing their platforms to be addictive without concerns for young users' well-being.

The plaintiff was initially awarded $3 million (€2.6 million) in damages, 70% of which was to be paid by Meta and 30% by YouTube. Later on Wednesday, the jurors also recommended that the two companies pay another $3 million in additional 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, watching YouTube videos when she was 6 then joining Instagram when she was 9, and growing addicted to it.

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, also said they disagreed with the verdict and had plans to appeal.

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.

In turn, Meta's team argued that "not one of her therapists identified social media as the cause" of her mental struggles, and sought to focus on her troubled home life.

However, the plaintiff did not need to prove a direct causal link between social media and her mental health — rather, the legal requirement was to show it was a "substantial factor."

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.

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.

Follow google news channel to get RTV news Google News

Related More News

Mamdani Goes Viral by Speaking in Bangla

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has sparked widespread discussion by speaking in Bangla, Mandarin, and Spanish to promote a free theater ticket initiative for the city's school students. Social media users have been captivated by his multilingual proficiency. International media outlet The Independent reported this news. As part of the initiative, 2,100 free theater tickets are being distributed to New York high school students. Selected students through a lottery system will receive up to two tickets each. Mamdani released promotional videos in multiple languages to publicize the campaign. He initially released a video in Spanish before surprising audiences by speaking in Mandarin. However, his video in Bengali generated the most attention. At the beginning of the video, Mamdani says, "How are you, New York City high school students?" After delivering his entire message in Bengali, he concludes by saying, "Alright, then see you at the theater." Bengali-speaking residents of New York, alongside people from various countries, have reacted enthusiastically to the video. Many praised his Bengali pronunciation, with one user jokingly remarking that Mamdani seems to be collecting languages one by one. Mamdani was born in Uganda during his childhood, spent time in South Africa, and moved to New York at the age of seven. Throughout his political career, he has previously communicated with voters in various languages, including Arabic, Hindi, and Urdu. Mamdani’s multilingual campaign has generated a tremendous response among New York's diverse, language-speaking communities.

Pori Moni Surpasses Shakib to Claim Top Spot on Facebook

Actress Pori Moni, who has remained a frequent subject of discussion due to various reasons since the beginning of her career, has reached a new milestone on social media, surpassing Bangladesh cricket poster boy Shakib Al Hasan in Facebook followers. With this feat, the popular actress has overtaken the world-class all-rounder to capture the top position in terms of Facebook popularity among national stars. Currently, Pori Moni's official Facebook page boasts over 17 million (1.7 crore) followers. In contrast, Shakib Al Hasan has slightly over 16 million (1.6 crore) followers. Consequently, the actress has claimed the top spot with a margin of nearly one million followers. Prior to this, a tight race in follower counts between Shakib and Pori Moni had been observed on several occasions. Notably, Shakib had pulled ahead in August 2023. However, a recent surge in followers has allowed Pori Moni to reverse that gap. The active engagement of followers on Pori Moni's Facebook page is also quite noticeable. A few days ago, a video post featuring her daughter garnered nearly 90,000 reactions. Before that, three photos of herself captured in the mild sunlight received over 56,000 reactions. Furthermore, views on her recently published videos have ranged anywhere from one million to over 15 million. Despite having over 17 million followers, Pori Moni herself follows only seven accounts, though she keeps the identities of those she follows private. Meanwhile, Pori Moni has become significantly less regular in acting compared to before. Currently, she spends most of her time managing her enterprise "Body" and caring for her children, alongside participating in various promotional activities. Although news surfaced over the past year and a half of her signing on to multiple films, concrete information regarding the progress of those projects remains scarce.

UAE Bans Social Media for Children Under 15

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has set the minimum age for using social media at 15 years to ensure child safety. Amid growing global concerns over the impact of online platforms on children, the UAE has become the first Arab nation to impose such restrictions. According to a government-approved decision on Thursday, creating, using, or managing personal social media accounts is strictly prohibited for children under the age of 15. As a result, they will no longer be able to post content, comment, share, or join public groups, the government’s media office stated. Reuters reported that under the new regulations, 15 and 16-year-olds will be permitted to use social media, but with mandatory enhanced safety measures. These include age-appropriate content filters, restrictions on communicating with unknown users, screen-time management tools, and parental supervision features. The restrictions apply to all social media platforms operating within the UAE. Social media companies have been given a 12-month grace period to implement the new rules. Popular platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), Threads, and TikTok must now introduce stringent age-verification mechanisms. This will involve digital identity verification and artificial intelligence-assisted technologies, meaning platforms cannot permit users to open accounts based solely on self-reported age. Instead, valid proof of citizenship and documented age verification will be required. Platforms must also ensure that existing accounts belonging to children under 15 are deactivated. Furthermore, companies have been strictly directed not to use children's personal data for targeted advertising or behavioral analysis. The UAE government stated that the measures aim to protect children from exposure to inappropriate content, unsafe online interactions, excessive social media usage, and risks related to personal data collection. The UAE emphasized that this framework aligns with international child protection initiatives and seeks to maintain a balance between digital utility and safety. Previously, Australia and several European nations also imposed strict restrictions due to concerns regarding the impact of social media usage on children's mental health and online safety.

Zaima Rahman Passes Bar Council MCQ Exam

The results of the preliminary Multiple Choice Question (MCQ) examination for enrollment as advocates in the subordinate courts under the Bangladesh Bar Council have been published. Barrister Zaima Zarnaz Rahman, daughter of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, is among the successful candidates. The results were released on the Bangladesh Bar Council’s official website on Friday night (June 12). Zaima Rahman later confirmed her success via a story posted on her verified Facebook account. "Alhamdulillah, I would like to share a small personal milestone with you all," Zaima Rahman wrote. "Today, I appeared for the first step of the Bangladesh Bar Council examination (MCQ) to practice law in my country. By the grace of Allah, I have passed the exam." It is reported that the Prime Minister's daughter took the examination at the BAF Shaheen College center. A total of 37,080 candidates applied for the MCQ exam this year, with 9,201 examinees successfully passing the first stage. [Click here to view the list of successful candidates.] To be officially enrolled as advocates, candidates must pass a rigorous three-tier examination process comprising MCQ, written, and oral tests. Successful enrollment will qualify them to practice in all subordinate courts and tribunals across the country, excluding the High Court Division of the Supreme Court. The Bar Council's Enrollment Committee oversees all decisions and directives regarding the examination process.

Canada to Ban Social Media Use for Children Under 16

In a major move to ensure the online safety of children, Canada has initiated steps to ban social media use for anyone under the age of 16. According to a report by the BBC, the Canadian government has introduced a new bill which, if passed, will see Canada join Australia in implementing some of the world's strictest regulations on youth social media access. The proposed legislation, titled the "Safe Social Media Act," aims to restrict children under 16 from creating accounts or using social media platforms. However, the bill introduces a key variance from Australia's model: tech companies may receive partial exemptions if they can prove they have implemented highly effective safety measures to mitigate harm to minors. Marc Miller, Canada’s Minister of King's Privy Council and Cultural Infrastructure (Culture), introduced the bill in parliament on Wednesday. "Enacting legislation to combat online harm is now a top priority for the government," Miller stated. The new law also includes provisions to regulate Artificial Intelligence-based (AI) chatbots and restrict content deemed harmful to children. To enforce these regulations, the bill proposes the establishment of an independent regulatory body, the "Digital Safety Commission of Canada." Heavy Penalties for ViolationsThe bill explicitly categorizes seven types of "harmful content," including cyberbullying of children, hate speech, incitement to violence, and other high-risk subject matter. Platforms found violating the law could face severe financial penalties, with fines reaching up to 10 million Canadian dollars or 3% of their global annual revenue. However, the proposed legislation has already sparked intense debate. Several organizations advocating for freedom of expression have raised concerns that the new law could pave the way for increased online censorship. They argue that these issues could be effectively managed under existing criminal laws instead. Global concern regarding children's online safety continues to grow. Countries such as Australia, the United Kingdom, France, and New Zealand have already adopted various laws and policy frameworks to tackle the issue. The BBC added that the intersection of artificial intelligence and child safety online is expected to be a key agenda item at the upcoming G7 Summit in France next week.