Los Angeles jury decides social media addiction case against Meta, YouTube

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A Los Angeles jury on Wednesday found Meta and Google liable in a closely watched trial accusing social media platforms of designing their products to get young users addicted, awarding the plaintiff $3 million in damages. 

The verdict came after nine days, roughly 43 hours of deliberations. 

The case centered on a now 20-year-old California woman identified as K.G.M., who said social media platforms encouraged addictive use when she was a minor and contributed to depression and suicidal thoughts.

Her lawsuit alleged that companies behind several major platforms designed their products in ways that encouraged compulsive use among young people. 

The companies have denied wrongdoing and argued their services include safety tools and parental controls.

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Supporters of “K.G.M.” pose with signs outside the Los Angeles Superior Court during a social media trial over whether platforms were deliberately designed to be addictive to children in Los Angeles, Feb. 25, 2026. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP Via Getty Images / Getty Images)

TikTok and Snap, the parent company of Snapchat, were originally named as defendants but settled ahead of trial, leaving Meta and Google-owned YouTube as the remaining companies in the case.

The trial had been closely watched as one of the first to test in front of a jury whether social media companies can be held legally responsible for alleged harms tied to youth use of their platforms.

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Jurors were asked to determine whether Meta or YouTube should have known their platforms posed a danger to children, whether the companies were negligent in designing their products, and if so, whether their services were a “substantial factor” in causing the plaintiff’s mental health issues.

On Monday, jurors told the judge that they were having difficulty coming to a verdict with one of the two defendants and asked how to move forward. They were given their previous instructions, with the judge suggesting they read the details out loud before they were sent back for more deliberations. 

Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg departs the court after taking the stand at a trial in a key test case accusing Meta and Google’s YouTube of harming kids’ mental health through addictive platforms, in Los Angeles, Feb. 18, 2026. (REUTERS/Mike Blake / Reuters Photos)

The verdict came a day after a jury in New Mexico ordered Meta to pay $375 million after finding the company misled users about the safety of its platforms and allegedly enabled child sexual exploitation.

This is a breaking news story; check back for updates.

FOX Business’ Kelly Saberi contributed to this report.

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