Meta and YouTube found negligent in landmark social media addiction trial | The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentIndependentSwipe for next articleIndependent Bulletin homepageDownload our appAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleJasmine FernándezThursday 26 March 2026 07:59 GMTProtesters accuse Meta of fuelling youth mental health crisisIn a landmark ruling on Wednesday, Meta and YouTube were found liable in a first-of-its-kind lawsuit that aimed to hold social media platforms responsible for harm to children using their services.The plaintiff, a 20-year-old woman identified as KGM in documents, said she began using YouTube at age 6 and Instagram at age 9, and said her early use of social media addicted her to the technology and exacerbated her mental health struggles.The ruling came after more than 40 hours of deliberations.Meta and Google-owned YouTube were the two remaining defendants in the case after TikTok and Snap each settled before the trial began.The verdict comes a day after a similar verdict was reached on a case in New Mexico, where a jury ordered Meta to pay $375 million for violating consumer protection laws.In fullMeta and YouTube found guilty on all counts in landmark trial that could reshape the future of social mediaThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in