Unprecedented precedent: those responsible for Instagram, Facebook and YouTube sentenced for damages caused to a young woman who developed an addiction to social media during her childhood. Case increases pressure on big tech.
A jury in California, in the United States, has just opened a unpublished precedent by holding Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram, and Google, owner of YouTube, responsible for the damage caused to a 20-year-old North American girl who claims to have developed dependence on the platforms as a child.
The decision determines the payment of 3 million dollars (about 2.8 million euros), of which 2.1 million dollars (70%) goes to Meta and 900 thousand dollars (30%) to YouTube.
However, There is a possibility that this value will increasesince the jury considered that the companies acted with intent. They must now analyze new evidence and discuss punitive damages in the future.
“Today’s verdict is a referendum — from a jury to an entire sector — that accountability has arrived,” the prosecution said in a statement.
The jury answered affirmatively to the seven questions assessing corporate responsibility. Among other points, they concluded that both knew, or should have known, that the services posed risks to minors and that they failed to warn users about these dangers.
The panel further stated that Meta and YouTube acted with “malice, oppression or fraud”paving the way for additional punitive damages.
The case is considered the first in a series of about 1600 similar actions running in the United States, including more than 350 families and 250 school districts, and could redefine the limits of legal responsibility for technology giants.
The plaintiff also sued Snap, creator of Snapchat, and TikTokfrom China. However, these companies reached an agreement with the young woman before the case went to trial. The terms were not publicly disclosed.
compulsive use
According to the lawsuit, Kaley — as she was identified by her lawyers — started using YouTube at the age of six and joined Instagram at the age of nine, bypassing a block imposed by her mother. He stated that he passed “all day” on and that the early use of platforms deteriorated her self-esteem, damaged friendships and led her to abandon hobbies.
The young woman’s lawyers argued that elements such as infinite scrolling, constant notifications, autoplay and like counting were deliberately designed to encourage compulsive useespecially among children and adolescents. For them, it was a clear case of “corporate greed”.
Meta and YouTube’s defenses tried to move away from the accusations. Meta attributed the young woman’s emotional problems to her family environment, while YouTube disputed the actual time of use, stating that she spent, on average, “just over a minute a day” on features considered addictive. Jurors rejected both lines of argument.
After the sentence, Meta said he “respectfully disagreed” with the decision and said he was evaluating the next steps. YouTube declared that the case “misinterprets the platform”, which would be a streaming and not a social network.
“Existential threat” to big tech
The decision could have deeper consequences in the technology sector, far beyond the compensation amounts. Social media companies face backlash in the United States and around the world, being the target of several lawsuits and new laws that restrict children’s use of social media.
“The 3 million dollars is practically nothing for companies like Meta and YouTube, two of the biggest ad sellers in the world. But if they are forced to redesign their products, it represents a existential threat to their business models”, said Jasmine Engberg, analyst at Scalable, a company that monitors the social media sector, to the France-Presse agency (AFP).
The conviction comes a day after another jury in New Mexico held Meta responsible for failing to protect children from risks on the platform, imposing a fine of US$375 million, which Mark Zuckerberg’s company said it will appeal.
