A jury has found Meta's Instagram and Google's YouTube guilty of harming a young woman with their features to hook young users.The jury located in Los Angeles on Wednesday, ruled in favour of a 20-year-old woman, identified as KGM, who claims she was addicted to the apps from a young age.She claims the apps were deliberately designed that way, citing autoplay and infinite scroll.Reported by the New York Post, the outcome could influence thousands of similar cases against the two of the most powerful tech companies — brought by parents, US states, and school districts..KGM claimed her social media addiction fueled depression, anxiety, and severe mental health issues.Jurors heard KGM testify about how she felt trapped in the apps' endless loops, where she said she experienced countless sleepless nights and obsessive scrolling she couldn't control. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, was among the social media executives who testified under oath. Courtroom documents revealed during the trial compared user engagement to addictive substances, showing the platform is designed to keep users engaged for long hours. .Defense lawyers for the tech companies argued it was KGM's personal and family factors that truly caused her problems. Reported by the New York Times, Meta and YouTube must pay $3 million in damages to KGM, including compensation for pain, suffering, and other financial burdens.Meta must pay 70% and YouTube will pay the rest.The court bypassed a US law by focusing on how the apps were deliberately designed to be addictive rather than on what users posted, making it a potential turning point for holding tech companies accountable.
