A jury in Los Angeles found that Instagram and YouTube were intentionally designed to create addiction in children. This is a landmark verdict for technology companies.
The Instagram social network belonging to the American technology giant Meta and the YouTube platform of Google were deliberately designed to cause addiction in children and young people. The jury in Los Angeles decided on this on Wednesday, TASR writes, according to reports from the AFP and Reuters agencies.
- A jury in Los Angeles found Instagram and YouTube to be intentionally addictive platforms.
- Twenty-year-old Kaley GM sued technology companies for intentionally creating addiction.
- The woman used YouTube from the age of six and Instagram from the age of eleven.
- The court linked her current mental problems to her addiction to social networks.
- The verdict awarded three million dollars in damages and brought a landmark verdict.
The civil lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles, California by a 20-year-old woman identified as “Kaley GM,” accusing Meta and other tech firms of intentionally designing their social networks to be addictive to children and teens.
Warning for technology companies
The plaintiff has been an intensive user of social networks since childhood – she started using YouTube at the age of six, joined Instagram at the age of 11, and later added Snapchat and TikTok. He currently suffers from mental health problems, which he attributes to his addiction to social media.
The court’s decision, according to the world agencies, is a landmark verdict and could change the way the technology industry faces legal liability for the mental health of young users. The court awarded the plaintiff compensation in the amount of three million dollars.
Out-of-court settlement agreement
The case originally also involved social networks Snapchat and TikTok. However, before it began, they agreed with the plaintiff on an out-of-court settlement. His conditions are not known.
