The decision comes after Facebook’s parent company was ordered to pay $375 million for profiting from online abuse of youth.
A California jury on Wednesday found Alphabet’s Google and Meta liable for $6 million in damages in a landmark lawsuit that accused the social media giants of being legally responsible for the addictive design of their platforms.
Major US tech companies have faced increasing scrutiny over the past decade over the safety of children and teens, with the debate now reaching courts and state legislatures. At least 20 states have enacted laws on social media use and children in 2025, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, an organization that tracks state laws.
A jury ordered Meta to pay $4.2 million and Google to pay $1.8 million in a lawsuit by a 20-year-old woman named Kelly, who said she became addicted to YouTube and Instagram as a minor because of features like infinite scrolling — which encourage long-term engagement. Of the total award, approximately $3 million is compensation to the plaintiffs, while the remainder represents punitive damages.
Both tech giants said they disagree with the decision, and announced plans to appeal. TikTok and Snap were also named as defendants in the case, but managed to reach a settlement before the trial began.
On Tuesday, a jury in New Mexico ordered Meta Platform, which runs Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Threads, to pay $375 million for knowingly harming children’s mental health and hiding evidence of child sexual abuse, saying its personal algorithms could also aid pedophiles.
A separate social media addiction case brought by several states and school districts against major technology companies is expected to be heard in federal court in Oakland, California, this summer. Another state trial is scheduled to begin in Los Angeles in July and will include Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Snapchat.
Globally, meta platforms are facing increasing regulatory pressure, having been labeled a “Extremist organisations” in Russia in 2022 and targeted by multiple EU actions, including a €797 million ($940 million) antitrust fine and other copyright, data-protection and advertising cases across Europe.
Amid growing concerns over online child safety, countries including Australia, Denmark, France, Spain, Italy, Slovenia, the UK, Indonesia and Malaysia are banning or considering restricting social media access for children and teens.
