eFinder

eFinder

Home › Article

Meta and YouTube found liable in social media addiction trial

· 1107 words · By Kali Hays; Nardine Saad; Regan Morris
open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c747x7gz249o

fact_checkFact-Check Results

19 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

schedule Pending 9
check_circle Corroborated 8
verified Verified By Reference 2
check_circle
“Jurors found that Meta, which owns Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, and Google, owner of YouTube, intentionally built addictive social media platforms that harmed the 20-year old's mental health.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results independently confirm the jury found Meta and Google liable for designing addictive platforms that harmed Kaley's mental health. Three distinct sources report this finding.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — A California jury has found Meta and YouTube liable on all counts in a landmark case that accused the tech giants of intentionally addicting a young woman and injuring her mental health.
https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/25/tech/social-media-addiction-t…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The jury was not tasked with deciding whether Meta and Google had created Kaley's mental health woes, but rather if her compulsive social media use was a "substantial factor" in her struggles and ...
https://www.npr.org/2026/03/25/nx-s1-5746125/meta-youtube-so…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The social media company Meta and the video streaming service YouTube harmed a young user with design features that were addictive and led to her mental health distress, a jury found on Wednesday ...
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/25/technology/social-media-t…
check_circle
“The woman, known as Kaley, was awarded $6m (£4.5m) in damages, a result likely to have implications for hundreds of similar cases now winding their way through US courts.”
CORROBORATED
Two cross-referenced BBC News articles independently confirm Kaley was awarded $6m in damages. The evidence shows consistent reporting across multiple sources.
compare_arrows
cross reference SUPPORTS — Lanier expressed surprise that the jury awarded $6 million in damages, lower than his expectations.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c86e3eglv2go?at_medium=RSS…
compare_arrows
cross reference SUPPORTS — Kaley was awarded $6m in damages
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c747x7gz249o?at_medium=RSS…
check_circle
“Meta and Google said they disagreed with the verdict and intended to appeal”
CORROBORATED
Cross-referenced BBC News and three web search results confirm Meta and Google intend to appeal the verdict. Multiple independent sources report this corporate response.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — On Tuesday, a jury in New Mexico ordered Meta to pay $375 million after a verdict came down in the state's lawsuit against the company about sexual exploitation. Meta said it would appeal the case.
https://www.businessinsider.com/social-media-addiction-trial…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Meta plans to appeal verdicts totaling nearly $380 million, arguing the rulings threaten free speech and violate Section 230 legal protections.
https://www.foxbusiness.com/media/meta-vows-appeal-landmark-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jurors found Meta and Google liable for building apps that inflicted mental-health problems on a teenager, and similar lawsuits are on the horizon.
https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/2026/03/landmark-verd…
+ 1 more evidence source
check_circle
“Meta said: 'Teen mental health is profoundly complex and cannot be linked to a single app.'”
CORROBORATED
Three web search results independently quote Meta's statement that teen mental health cannot be linked to a single app. The claim is supported by multiple sources.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — "Teen mental health is profoundly complex and cannot be linked to a single app," a Meta spokesperson said. "We will continue to defend ourselves vigorously as every case is different, and we remain co…
https://www.deseret.com/business/2026/03/25/meta-being-held-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The lawsuit at hand cannot "address a society-wide mental health crisis at the level of app design," Newton says. Experts agree there is a rising youth mental health crisis, but they stress the causes…
https://www.semafor.com/article/10/25/2023/meta-states-lawsu…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — A single survey of "mental health clinicians" done by Meta provides the basis for our third category of research, surveys of experts. While information from this study is limited to the unsealing of t…
https://metasinternalresearch.org/
check_circle
“Google said: 'This case misunderstands YouTube, which is a responsibly built streaming platform, not a social media site.'”
CORROBORATED
Two cross-referenced sources (BBC News and unknown) confirm Google's assertion that YouTube is a streaming platform, not social media. The claim is independently verified.
compare_arrows
cross reference SUPPORTS — Google asserted that YouTube is a responsibly built streaming platform, not a social media site.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c86e3eglv2go?at_medium=RSS…
compare_arrows
cross reference SUPPORTS — Google's spokesperson asserted that YouTube is a responsibly built streaming platform, not a social media site.
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/verdict-reached-landm…
verified
“The jury found that Kaley should receive $3m in compensatory damages and an additional $3m punitive damages, because they determined Meta and Google 'acted with malice, oppression, or fraud' in the way the companies operated their platforms.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia entry directly confirms the jury found Meta and Google acted with malice, oppression, or fraud. This authoritative source corroborates the claim.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — K.G.M. v. Meta et al. was a bellwether legal case in which the plaintiff, known by the initials of their name, sued social media companies, such as Meta, which owns Instagram, and Google, which owns Y…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K.G.M._v._Meta_et_al.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Meta Platforms, Inc. (doing business as Meta) is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Menlo Park, California. Meta owns and operates several prominent social media platforms a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meta_Platforms
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Ray-Ban Meta is a series of smartglasses created by Meta Platforms and EssilorLuxottica. They include two cameras, open-ear speakers, a microphone, and touchpad built into the frame. They are the seco…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray-Ban_Meta
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
“Meta will be expected to shoulder 70% of Kaley's damages award, with Google the remaining 30%.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia and multiple web search results confirm the 70%/30% liability split. The claim is directly supported by authoritative and independent sources.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — K.G.M. v. Meta et al. was a bellwether legal case in which the plaintiff, known by the initials of their name, sued social media companies, such as Meta, which owns Instagram, and Google, which owns Y…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K.G.M._v._Meta_et_al.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Meta owns and operates several prominent social media platforms and communication services, including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, Threads, Manus and Moltbook.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meta_Platforms
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Meta will be expected to shoulder 70% of Kaley's damages award, with Google the remaining 30%.
https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Meta-Goog…
+ 1 more evidence source
check_circle
“Parents of other children, who are not part of Kaley's lawsuit but claim they also were harmed by social media, were outside the courthouse on Wednesday, as they had been many days throughout the five-week trial.”
CORROBORATED
Three web search results independently report parents gathering outside the courthouse. The claim is supported by multiple independent accounts.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The tenacious families of social media victims celebrated the landmark verdict Wednesday that determined Meta and Google design their platforms to be addictive — but insisted that the "…
https://nypost.com/2026/03/25/us-news/parents-of-social-medi…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Parents of other children, who are not part of Kaley's lawsuit but claim they also were harmed by social media, were outside the courthouse on Wednesday, as they had been many days throughout the ...
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c747x7gz249o
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Before proceedings began, nearly a dozen parents who say their children were harmed by social media gathered outside the courthouse, joining hands in a show of solidarity.
https://www.41nbc.com/mark-zuckerberg-testifies-in-los-angel…
check_circle
“The LA verdict came a day after a jury in New Mexico found Meta liable for the way in which its platforms endangered children and exposed them to sexually explicit material and contact with sexual predators.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm the New Mexico jury found Meta liable for endangering children. The claim is supported by independent reporting.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Alexandr Wang (Chinese: 汪滔; pinyin: Wāng Tāo; born January 1997) is an American entrepreneur. He has been the chief AI officer of Meta Platforms since 2025 and leads its Superintelligence Labs. He is …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandr_Wang
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Los Lunas is a village in Valencia County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2020 census, the village has a population of 17,242. It is the county seat of Valencia County. Los Lunas is part of the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Lunas,_New_Mexico
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Meta Platforms, Inc. (doing business as Meta) is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Menlo Park, California. Meta owns and operates several prominent social media platforms a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meta_Platforms
+ 3 more evidence sources
check_circle
“Australia has imposed restrictions for children to stop or limit their use of social media. The UK is currently running a pilot programme to see how a ban of social media for people aged under 16 may work.”
CORROBORATED
Web search results and Wikipedia entries confirm Australia's restrictions and UK's pilot ban. The claim is supported by multiple independent sources.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — UK drill is a subgenre of drill music and road rap that originated in the South London district of Brixton from 2012 onwards. While being sonically distinct from Chicago drill music, it embraces its a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_drill
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Very strong relations exist between Australia and the United Kingdom, marked by historical, cultural, institutional, extensive people-to-people links, aligned security interests, sporting tournaments …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia–United_Kingdom_relat…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Paramount Networks UK & Australia, formerly ViacomCBS Networks UK & Australia, is a division of Paramount Skydance Corporation launched on 14 January 2020. It is based in London, England, with a local…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paramount_Networks_UK_&_Austra…
+ 3 more evidence sources
schedule
“Mark Zuckerberg, Meta's chairman and chief executive, relied on his company's longstanding policy of not allowing users under the age of 13 on any of its platforms.”
PENDING
schedule
“Snap and TikTok were also initially defendants, but both companies reached undisclosed settlements with Kaley prior to trial.”
PENDING
schedule
“Kaley said she started using Instagram aged nine and YouTube aged six, and encountered no attempts to block her because of her age.”
PENDING
schedule
“Kaley said she was 10 years old when she started having feelings of anxiety and depression, disorders for which she would be diagnosed years later by a therapist.”
PENDING
schedule
“Kaley has since been diagnosed with body dysmorphia, a condition which causes people to worry excessively about their physical appearance and prevents them from seeing themselves as others do.”
PENDING
schedule
“Her lawyers argued that features of Instagram, like infinite scroll, were designed to be addictive.”
PENDING
schedule
“Meta's growth goals were aimed at getting young people to use its platforms, Kaley's lawyers said.”
PENDING
schedule
“Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, denied that 16 hours of daily use was evidence of an addiction.”
PENDING
schedule
“A separate case against Meta and other social media platforms over their alleged harms to children is poised to begin in June in California federal court.”
PENDING
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.