Social Media Kids Trial

Laura Marquez-Garrett, attorney for SMVLC (Social Media Victims Law Center), embraces Julianna Arnold, right, parent, outside Los Angeles Superior Court on Thursday, March 12, 2026.

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Jury finds Instagram and YouTube liable in a landmark social media addiction trial

Jury finds Instagram and YouTube liable in a landmark social media addiction trial

A jury has found Meta and YouTube liable in a first-of-its-kind lawsuit that aimed to hold social media platforms responsible for harm to children using their services. The decision Wednesday came after more than 40 hours of deliberation across nine days and more than a month since jurors heard opening statements in the trial. The plaintiff is a 20-year-old woman identified as KGM in documents and her lawyers called her Kaley during the trial. She says she became addicted to social media as a child and that this addiction exacerbated her mental health struggles. The companies must pay her a total $6 million in damages.