A California jury has awarded a 20-year-old woman $6 million after finding Meta and Google liable for her depression and anxiety, which she claimed were caused by compulsive social media use from a young age. The verdict holds Meta accountable for the design of its platforms, including Instagram, and Google’s YouTube, as “defective” products engineered to exploit developing brains of kids and teenagers. This rare verdict represents the first time a jury has found tech companies responsible for their role in fueling youth mental health issues.
Source: https://www.npr.org/2026/03/25/nx-s1-5746125/meta-youtube-social-media-trial-verdict