A jury in California found Alphabet’s Google and Meta liable for $6 million in damages on Wednesday in a landmark lawsuit in which the social media giants were accused of being legally responsible for the addictive design of their platforms.
Major US tech companies have faced increasing scrutiny over child and teen safety over the past decade, a debate that has now moved into courts and state legislatures. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, an organization that tracks state laws, at least 20 states enacted laws on social media usage and children in 2025.
A jury ordered Meta to pay $4.2 million and Google $1.8 million in a lawsuit by a 20-year-old woman identified as Kaley, who said she became addicted to YouTube and Instagram as a minor due to features – such as infinite scrolling – which encourage prolonged engagement. Of the total award, about $3 million is compensation to the plaintiff, while the remainder represents punitive damages.
Both tech giants said they disagree with the ruling, and announced plans to appeal. TikTok and Snap were also named as defendants in the case, but managed to settle before the trial began.
On Tuesday, a jury in New Mexico ordered Meta Platforms, which runs Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Threads, to pay $375 million for knowingly harming children’s mental health and concealing evidence of child sexual exploitation, saying its personalized algorithms could also aid pedophiles.
A separate social media addiction case brought by several states and school districts against major technology companies is expected to go to trial this summer in federal court in Oakland, California. Another state trial is scheduled to begin in July in Los Angeles and will involve Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Snapchat.
Globally, Meta Platforms faces growing regulatory pressure, having been labeled an “extremist organization” in Russia in 2022 and targeted by multiple European Union actions, including a €797 million ($940 million) antitrust fine and other copyright, data-protection and advertising cases across Europe.
Amid growing concerns over child safety online, countries including Australia, Denmark, France, Spain, Italy, Slovenia, the UK, Indonesia, and Malaysia are restricting or considering limits on social media access for children and teens.
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