In a pioneering ruling that could mark a before and after in the regulation of big tech, Meta, parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, and YouTube have been declared guilty of generating addiction among minors, by designing their platforms in a way that encourages compulsive and harmful use.
The jury in the case in Los Angeles, California, concluded that both companies acted with negligence by prioritizing their profits above the safety of children, and has ordered them to pay three million dollars in compensation to the plaintiff, Kaley G. M., who suffered problematic use of these platforms since the age of six.
Manipulation of attention on minors
The trial highlighted how social media manipulates the attention and behavior of minors. Kaley began consuming content on YouTube at six years old, incorporated Instagram at nine and TikTok at ten, coming to spend up to 16 hours a day in front of a screen. Her mother recounted during the trial that the young woman developed anxiety, depression, and memory difficulties, with panic attacks every time her phone use was restricted.
“The design of these platforms is not harmless: it affects the brain chemistry of minors, conditioning their development and their capacity for social interaction,” noted the family's defense, highlighting how addiction is compared to a chemical blow in the brain.
The Los Angeles case adds to the already historic ruling in New Mexico, where a jury determined that Meta had prioritized its profits over child safety, imposing a fine of 375 million dollars. Both lawsuits reflect a growing movement in the United States to hold tech companies accountable for the psychological and social harms their products can cause to minors.
Along these lines, it is expected that throughout 2026 dozens of similar lawsuits will accumulate in California and other states, filed by families, associations, and school districts, demanding that the large platforms assume their responsibility in the mental health and development of children. For Meta and YouTube, these cases represent an unprecedented challenge: they not only face economic sanctions, but also social and regulatory pressure that could redefine the way they design their products for the youngest.