US Woman Wins Landmark $6 Million Lawsuit Against Meta and Google Over Social Media Addiction

Los Angeles. A young American woman has achieved a historic victory in a lawsuit alleging that her childhood addiction to social media ruined her mental health. A Los Angeles court has ordered Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, and Google, the operator of YouTube, to pay $6 million in compensation to the 20-year-old woman, Kelly.

The court members concluded that Meta and Google intentionally designed their platforms to be addictive, which severely impacted the young woman's mental health. The compensation amount is set at $3 million for actual damages and the remaining $3 million as punitive damages.  

The court also determined that Meta and Google engaged in 'malice and deceit' while operating their platforms. Of the total compensation awarded, Meta will bear 70 percent and Google 30 percent.

The victim stated that she started using YouTube when she was 6 years old and Instagram when she was 9. She testified that social media caused her to suffer from depression and anxiety starting at age 10, and later she developed body dysmorphia, a mental condition involving excessive worry about her body image. She revealed that she used Instagram for up to 16 hours a day and that the companies never intervened when she used these apps before reaching the required age.

Meanwhile, both Meta and Google have expressed disagreement with the court's decision and announced plans to appeal. Meta argued that adolescent mental health is a very complex issue and cannot be attributed to a single app. Google also claimed that YouTube is a responsible streaming platform, not a social network.

This verdict is expected to have a significant impact on hundreds of other similar cases pending in various US courts. Recently, countries like Australia and the UK have also been preparing to impose bans or implement stricter regulations on social media for children.