By Isabella McHugh
Staff Writer
The social media company Meta and video streaming platform YouTube were found guilty of causing anxiety and depression to a 20-year-old woman, identified as K.G.M. in a civil trial on March 25, according to the New York Times. The case was presented before a Los Angeles jury, Al Jazeera reported.
K.G.M. suffered from social media addiction as a child, and claims that caused her mental health spiral, according to NPR. She claimed that many features in social media apps were created to be addictive. She said she would feel a “rush” when she received notifications on her account, according to Al Jazeera.
The plaintiff said, “I stopped engaging with family because I was spending all my time on social media,” according to Al Jazeera. She also added that she started suffering from anxiety and depression at the age of 10. K.G.M. experienced body dysmorphia and began to constantly use social media filters to alter her appearance.
Meta countered this argument, highlighting that the plaintiff experienced emotional and physical abuse in her own home. Her therapists allegedly never documented social media as being a part of her encompassing mental health issues, NPR reported.
The plaintiff was awarded $6 million. 70% of the money was paid by Meta and the rest by YouTube, according to The Guardian.
A Meta spokesperson said, “Teen mental health is profoundly complex and cannot be linked to a single app,” according to NBC News. They added, “We will continue to defend ourselves vigorously as every case is different, and we remain confident in our record of protecting teens online.”
José Castañeda, a spokesperson for Google, said that the case has a misunderstanding, because YouTube is a streaming service and “not a social media site,” according to NBC.
When questioned, Zuckerberg said that one of the company’s big priorities has always been protecting kids and keeping them safe online, according to NPR. He added, “If people feel like they're not having a good experience, why would they keep using the product?”
“Substitute the words ‘YouTube’ for the word methamphetamine,” attorney Luis Li told jurors on March 19, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The jury found Meta to have inadequately warned users about the dangers associated with using Instagram, Al Jazeera reported.
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez said in a statement, “Juries in New Mexico and California have recognized that Meta's public deception and design features are putting children in harm's way,” according to NPR.
Throughout the case however, the companies argued that they were being used as a scapegoat for children’s mental health issues, and that there was no scientific proof that social media could cause this, according to NPR.
The trial’s verdict was welcomed by parents and other advocates who said that social media causes harm to children. Al Jazeera cites examples such as eating disorders, self harm and even suicide.
The co-council for K.G.M. said that the court’s decision is “a historic moment” for many families who have faced similar issues with children being addicted to social media, NBC reported.
Joseph VanZandt, one of K.G.M.’s lawyers said, “This is the first time in history a jury has heard testimony by executives and seen internal documents that we believe prove these companies chose profits over children,” wrote the New York Times.
