Jury holds Meta and Google liable for addictive social media designs harming youth, urging advertisers to reconsider partnerships

A California jury recently awarded a 20-year-old woman, identified only as Kaley, US$6 million in damages against Meta and Google after finding their platforms Instagram and YouTube were deliberately designed with addictive features such as infinite scrolling, beauty filters, autoplay, and push notifications. These elements contributed to her mental health struggles, including depression, body dysmorphia, and suicidal thoughts during her childhood. The jury determined that the companies knew about the potential harms to minors but failed to warn users or mitigate risks, acting with negligence, malice, oppression, or fraud. The case centred on platform design rather than specific content. In a separate New Mexico case, Meta was ordered to pay US$375 million for endangering children by exposing them to sexual predators. Both companies plan to appeal the verdicts, arguing that teen mental health issues are complex and cannot be attributed to a single app, while Google maintains YouTube is a streaming platform, not social media. This editorial highlights thousands of similar lawsuits underway and draws parallels to the long legal battles against Big Tobacco. With significant advertising revenue at stake—YouTube generated US$60 billion and Instagram is projected to reach US$42.5 billion in 2026—the piece calls on principled advertisers to withdraw support from these platforms. By doing so, businesses can protect their own reputations and pressure Big Tech to implement meaningful changes that prioritize child safety over engagement and profits. The evidence presented suggests these platforms knowingly maximized time spent by young users despite known risks, raising ethical questions for companies that choose to advertise there.