In a significant legal decision, a jury in Los Angeles ordered that two of the world's largest technology companies must pay millions after being held legally responsible for harm linked to social media addiction.
The verdict, delivered in a civil trial that has now become a test case for hundreds of similar lawsuits pending across the United States, centres on allegations that Meta Platforms, Inc., the parent of Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, and Google, owner of YouTube, designed their platforms in ways that contributed to a young woman's lifelong struggles with mental health.
