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Meta appeals landmark jury verdict that found it to blame for social media addiction
ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos • • business
Key Points:
- Meta has appealed a Los Angeles jury verdict in a social media addiction lawsuit, challenging findings that it designed platforms to addict young users without regard for their well-being.
- The case involved a 20-year-old woman who claimed social media addiction worsened her mental health, with the jury awarding her $3 million in damages plus $3 million in punitive damages.
- Both Meta and Google-owned YouTube plan to appeal, arguing that teen mental health is complex and cannot be attributed to a single app, while the trial judge denied motions to overturn the verdict.
- The lawsuit targeted platform design features like infinite scroll and autoplay to bypass legal protections under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.
- The verdict follows a similar case in New Mexico where Meta was ordered to pay $375 million for harming children’s mental health, and Meta continues to dispute both rulings and plans further appeals.
