Legal Experts Predict Big Changes For Big Tech After Meta And Google Verdict
The case centers on a 20-year-old woman, identified as Kaley, who was a minor when the case began,
A Los Angeles jury on Wednesday found Meta and Alphabet’s Google liable for designing platforms that are dangerous for kids and teens, in what legal analysts are calling a landmark victory.
"[The] just has awarded $3 million in punitive damages against Meta and Google’s YouTube, on top of the $3 million in compensatory damages already awarded in the social media addiction trial," Fox News Digital reports. "Jurors ordered Meta to pay $2.1 million in punitive damages and YouTube to pay $900,000."
The case centers on a 20-year-old woman, identified as Kaley, who was a minor when the case began. She claimed she became addicted to Google’s YouTube and Meta’s Instagram at a young age because of their attention-grabbing designs.
(Photo by Harun Ozalp /Anadolu via Getty Images)
Fox News legal editor Kerri Urbahn said the outcome could go far beyond financial penalties for the two companies. She argued the ruling may mark the "beginning of the end" for how social media platforms are designed.
"The money is nothing, right?" Urbahn said Wednesday. "Meta is valued at something like $3.1 trillion, so this is pennies to them, but it’s everything in terms of all the other cases and the implications. Look, I think in some ways, this is the beginning of the end in terms of how social media companies have been operating and designing their platforms up until now.
"Now look, there are very smart people at these companies and I’m sure they’ll find other ways to make sure their user base stays engaged, but they are officially on notice that they could get in very serious trouble if they continue down the path that they have been on for this time, and now we look to see what happens in these other cases."
Gil Luria, a technology sector analyst at investment firm D.A., called the verdict a "setback."
"This process will likely get dragged out through future cases and appeals, but eventually may cause these companies to put in consumer safeguards that may dampen growth," he said via Reuters.
Media wait outside the Superior Court building in downtown Los Angeles on March 24, 2026 for the verdict in the civil trial lawsuit alleging that Meta and YouTube are designed to hook young users and cause them a variety of negative mental health effects. (Photo by Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
It remains unclear what changes Meta and Google may implement. Other tech companies may also begin to examine the liability tied to their platform designs. Snap and TikTok were also defendants in the trial but settled with the plaintiff before it began. The terms of those agreements were not disclosed.
Attorneys representing the plaintiff called Wednesday’s verdict a "historic moment," saying it marks a turning point for families pursuing similar claims against major tech platforms.
"Today’s verdict is a historic moment — for Kaley and for the thousands of children and families who have been waiting for this day," co-lead counsel Rachel Lanier said in a statement.