Jury finds Meta & Google negligent
A U.S. jury ruled that Meta and Google were negligent over social‑media harms to kids, awarding damages in a landmark verdict — a new legal pressure point for designers and marketers. The decision sharpens scrutiny on engagement‑first features and will likely surface in interviews and compliance conversations across marketing teams. (reuters.com)
The jury’s award included $3 million in compensatory damages plus an additional $3 million in punitive damages, bringing the combined verdict to $6 million and assigning Meta 70% ($4.2 million) and YouTube 30% ($1.8 million). (goodmorningamerica.com) The plaintiff in the bellwether case is identified in court filings as K.G.M. (also reported as “Kaley”), a 20‑year‑old who testified she first used platforms as a child and linked long‑term use to depression and suicidal thoughts. (nbcnews.com) Jurors spent nine days — roughly 43 hours — in deliberations before returning the verdict in Los Angeles County Superior Court. (foxbusiness.com) The month‑long trial record included testimony from Instagram head Adam Mosseri (testifying in February) and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg (on Feb. 18), and was tried before Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Carolyn B. Kuhl after jury selection began in late January. (cnbc.com) K.G.M.’s case was the first bellwether in a consolidated litigation that represents more than 1,600 plaintiffs, including hundreds of families and dozens of school districts, meaning the trial’s factual record will be used in dozens to thousands of follow‑on suits. (nbcnews.com) Snap and TikTok settled before this bellwether trial, and both Meta and Google issued statements saying they disagree with the outcome and plan to appeal the rulings. (abcnews.com)
