{"id":2583766,"date":"2026-03-25T16:35:01","date_gmt":"2026-03-25T20:35:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/breaking-jury-finds-meta-youtube-guilty-in-watershed-social-media-addiction-case-opens-door-for-eye-watering-damages\/"},"modified":"2026-03-25T16:36:58","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T20:36:58","slug":"breaking-jury-finds-meta-youtube-guilty-in-watershed-social-media-addiction-case-opens-door-for-eye-watering-damages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/breaking-jury-finds-meta-youtube-guilty-in-watershed-social-media-addiction-case-opens-door-for-eye-watering-damages\/","title":{"rendered":"Breaking: Jury Finds Meta, YouTube Guilty in Watershed Social Media Addiction Case, Opens Door for Eye-Watering Damages"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">34<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fbreaking-jury-finds-meta-youtube-guilty-in-watershed-social-media-addiction-case-opens-door-for-eye-watering-damages%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2583766&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A California jury found Meta and Google\u2019s YouTube liable for using design features that promoted social media addiction among minors. The plaintiff was awarded $3 million in compensatory damages,with punitive damages to be determined. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified that Meta\u2019s platforms were not linked to the plaintiff\u2019s mental health issues, and Meta said it disagrees with the verdict and is evaluating options. Plaintiffs\u2019 lawyers described the decision as a historic moment and a referendum on accountability for Big Tech, noting internal documents that showed executives discussed the negative effects of these platforms on children. The verdict could influence similar lawsuits and industry practices; TikTok and Snapchat settled separately for undisclosed amounts. In a related matter, a New Mexico jury ordered Meta to pay $375 million for failing to protect users from child predators. Analysts and advocates hailed the ruling as potentially forcing changes to how <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-new-acting-attorney-general-jeff-rosen-recently-wrote-an-essay-on-foreign-influence-in-us-elections-this-tells-us-a-little-about-his-knowledge-of-whats-going-on-today\/\" title=\"The New Acting Attorney General Jeff Rosen Recently Wrote an Essay on Foreign Influence in US Elections \u2013 This Tells Us A Little About His Knowledge of What\u2019s Going On Today\">social media platforms<\/a> are designed for minors.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>A California jury on Wednesday found YouTube and Meta guilty of using design features that promoted social media addiction among minors.<\/p>\n<p>Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg had testified during the landmark trial, saying that Meta was not linked to mental health issues that plagued the plaintiff, who was awarded $3 million in compensatory damages, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/tech\/tech-news\/verdict-reached-landmark-social-media-addiction-trial-rcna263421\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NBC News<\/a>. The jury will next decide on punitive damages.<\/p>\n<p>The lawyers for plaintiff K.G.M. said the verdict is &ldquo;a historic moment&rdquo; for children and families.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;But this verdict is bigger than one case,&rdquo; the lawyers said. &ldquo;For years, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ga-poll-watcher-it-expert-non-trump-supporter-affidavit-sudden-surge-of-20000-mail-in-votes-for-biden-in-early-hours-on-nov\/\" title=\"GA Poll Watcher, IT Expert, Non-Trump Supporter Affidavit: Sudden Surge of 20,000 Mail-In-Votes For Biden In Early Hours On Nov\">social media companies<\/a> have profited from targeting children while concealing their addictive and dangerous design features. Today&rsquo;s verdict is a referendum &mdash; from a jury, to an entire industry &mdash; that accountability has arrived.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">&#128680;Big Tech loses addiction trial:<\/p>\n<p>A jury just found Meta and Google (YouTube) liable in a landmark social media addiction trial, awarding $3 million in damages to the young plaintiff.<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/WJj7vd9xFg\">pic.twitter.com\/WJj7vd9xFg<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Gunther Eagleman&trade; (@GuntherEagleman) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GuntherEagleman\/status\/2036860674505150549?\">March 25, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadAnyclip() { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst container=document.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!container) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=\"https:\/\/player.anyclip.com\/anyclip-widget\/lre-widget\/prod\/v1\/src\/lre.js\"; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"pubname\", \"westernjournalcom\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"widgetname\", \"001w000001jULVcAAO_M12924\");  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ append inside the container so player shows in correct spot \t\t\t\t\t\tcontainer.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadAnyclip(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #anyclipvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#anyclipvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Meta was found to be responsible for 70 percent of the damages; YouTube for the balance, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/25\/technology\/social-media-trial-verdict.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The New York Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The news outlet noted the significance of the case: &ldquo;The finding validates a novel legal theory that social media sites or apps can cause personal injury. It is likely to factor into similar cases expected to go to trial this year, which could expose the internet giants to further financial damages and force changes to their products.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>TikTok and Snapchat settled out of court for undisclosed amounts.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier this month, a New Mexico jury declared Meta liable for failing to protect users of its apps from child predators. Meta was ordered to pay $375 million in that case.<\/p>\n<p>Joseph VanZandt, one of K.G.M.&rsquo;s lawyers. said the trial revealed a hidden truth<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This is the first time in history a jury has heard testimony by executives and seen internal documents that we believe prove these companies chose profits over children,&rdquo; &nbsp;he said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;There is a long road ahead, but this decision is quite significant,&rdquo; said Clay Calvert of the American Enterprise Institute.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;If there are a series of verdicts for plaintiffs, it will force the defendants to reconsider how they <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >design social media platforms<\/a> and how they deliver content to minors,&rdquo; Calvert said.<\/p>\n<p>During the trial, internal Meta and YouTube documents were presented, indicating that executives at each company discussed the negative effects of their technology platforms on children.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We respectfully disagree with the verdict and are evaluating our legal options,&rdquo; a Meta representative said, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxbusiness.com\/technology\/jury-meta-google-landmark-trial-social-media-addiction-trial-damages\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fox Business<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">A jury found both Meta and YouTube liable in a first-of-its-kind lawsuit that aimed to hold social media platforms responsible for harm to children using their services. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/oLMIYt2Hhs\">https:\/\/t.co\/oLMIYt2Hhs<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; The Boston Globe (@BostonGlobe) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BostonGlobe\/status\/2036860984300581042?\">March 25, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>But Sacha Haworth, executive director of the watchdog Tech Oversight Project, called the ruling an &ldquo;earthquake that shakes Big Tech&rsquo;s predatory business model to its core,&rdquo; according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/03\/25\/us-news\/jury-takes-on-instagram-and-youtube-in-social-media-showdown\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">New York Post<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This trial was proof that if you put CEOs like Mark Zuckerberg on the stand before a judge and jury of their peers, the tech industry&rsquo;s wanton disregard for people will be on full display,&rdquo; Haworth said<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A California jury found YouTube (Google) and Meta guilty of using design elements that fostered social\u2011media addiction among minors. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified that Meta was not responsible for the plaintiff\u2019s mental\u2011health issues, and the plaintiff was awarded $3 million in compensatory damages; punitive damages will be decided later. The plaintiff\u2019s lawyers called the verdict a historic moment for children and families and said it signals accountability for the industry, arguing that social\u2011media companies have profited from addictive features while concealing their risks. The New York Times reported that Meta was responsible for about 70% of the damages and YouTube the remainder. The ruling arrives amid other legal developments, including settlements by TikTok and Snapchat for undisclosed amounts, and a separate New Mexico case in which Meta was ordered to pay $375 million for failing to protect users from child predators. Critics said the decision could push platforms to change how they design for minors, while Meta said it disagrees with the verdict and is evaluating its legal options<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2583767,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Meta-social-media-addiction-trial.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[10691,4784,9276,76532,6562],"class_list":["post-2583766","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-damages","tag-litigation","tag-meta","tag-social-media-addiction-2","tag-youtube"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Meta-social-media-addiction-trial.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2583766","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2583766"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2583766\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2583770,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2583766\/revisions\/2583770"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2583767"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2583766"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2583766"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2583766"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}