Network Addiction: Google and Meta to Pay $6 Million
A Los Angeles jury has ordered the technology companies Meta (owner of Facebook and Instagram) and Alphabet (owner of Google and YouTube) to pay a 20-year-old user $4.2 million in compensation for psychological harm caused by her addiction to social media. Bloomberg reported this on Wednesday, March 25. In addition, Alphabet and Meta must pay a $1.8 million penalty.
The young woman went to court over an addiction that, she argued, developed because of the specific, habit-forming design of YouTube and Instagram. The jury found that the corporations were negligent in designing these platforms and failed to warn users about possible risks. According to Bloomberg, the ruling could become a precedent that forces tech corporations to reconsider their user agreements and safety policies. Meanwhile, both Meta and Alphabet intend to appeal the jury’s verdict.
The design of YouTube and Instagram intentionally fosters addiction in children
During the trial, the plaintiff’s lawyers focused specifically on the design of the YouTube and Instagram platforms rather than on their content. They managed to convince the jury that the companies had deliberately aimed to encourage habit-forming use that could develop in users, including children.
For their part, Meta’s lawyers argued that the plaintiff’s psychological problems were caused by a difficult family environment rather than by addiction to social media. TikTok and Snapchat were also defendants in the lawsuit, but they reached an out-of-court settlement before the trial began, Bloomberg writes.
More and more countries are introducing bans on social media use by teenagers
Large technology companies have for many years faced criticism over platform designs that can foster dependency among minors and lead to psychological problems. The U.S. Congress has still not passed a federal law regulating social media, so most restrictions are being introduced at the state level and through court rulings.
In 2025, about 20 U.S. states passed laws regulating minors’ use of social media. It is expected that by the end of 2026, courts will issue several more precedent-setting rulings in lawsuits concerning social media addiction. Earlier this week, Bloomberg reports, a jury in the state of New Mexico found Meta liable for creating a threat to children.
Over the past year, bans or strict restrictions on the use of social media by children and teenagers have already been introduced in several countries, including Australia, France, Spain, Portugal, and Malaysia. Similar bills are being discussed or are under consideration in the national parliaments of Germany, Greece, Denmark, Norway, and Slovenia.
Author: Asya Lokina
За последний год запреты или жесткие ограничения на использование соцсетей детьми и подростками уже введены в нескольких странах - Австралии, Франции, Испании, Португалии и Малайзии. Аналогичные законопроекты обсуждаются или находятся в стадии рассмотрения национальными парламентами в Германии, Греции, Дании, Норвегии и Словении.
Автор: Ася Локина