YouTube and Meta appeal $6 million verdict over youth social media addiction

YouTube filed a notice of appeal in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Monday, seeking to overturn a jury verdict that found the platform liable for designing features that hook young users. The appeal came less than a week after Meta, also a defendant, lodged its own notice of appeal.

The five‑week trial centered on a 20‑year‑old woman identified as KGM, who testified that she became addicted to social media as a child and that the habit worsened her mental‑health struggles. The jury concluded that negligence by both Google‑owned YouTube and Meta was a substantial factor, awarding $3 million in compensatory damages and recommending $3 million in punitive damages. The companies argue that YouTube is a video‑sharing service, not a social‑media platform, and rely on Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act for protection. The case, the first of its kind, could shape thousands of similar lawsuits, while TikTok and Snap had settled earlier for undisclosed sums.