Updated on March 26, 2026: In a second legal blow in as many days for Meta, a jury in Los Angeles yesterday found that the Facebook and Instagram parent company, as well as YouTube’s owner Google, were negligent by designing platforms that are addictive and harmful for kids and teens.

The tech firms were ordered to pay US$6 million in total damages, with Meta having to cover 70% of the amount, as it played a bigger part in the complaint. It’s a relatively negligible sum in isolation, but the verdict could set a precedent for the hundreds of similar cases that are currently in the works throughout the country.

“We respectfully disagree with the verdict and are evaluating our legal options,” a Meta spokesperson said yesterday. Google spokesman José Castañeda also took issue with the verdict: “This case misunderstands YouTube, which is a responsibly built streaming platform, not a social media site.”

The case was brought forth by a now-20-year-old, who alleged that her mental health struggles were exacerbated by a childhood addiction to the companies’ apps—starting with her usage of YouTube at age six and Instagram at age nine. 

The trial scrutinized various platform designs and features, such as autoplaying videos, constant notifications and infinite-scrolling, that are said to encourage compulsive use, with young users most at risk of addiction. Jurors also heard from Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram boss Adam Mosseri. YouTube CEO Neal Mohan wasn’t called to testify.

Many are hailing this as a Big Tobacco-style moment of reckoning for social media, signaling the possibility for major changes in the industry—whether that means the companies will need to overhaul their designs and interfaces or enforce stricter restrictions for use by kids across the board.

It’s been a double whammy of a week for Meta, specifically, which is still fresh off its Tuesday loss in a separate trial in New Mexico. In that trial, jurors decided that the company was responsible for misleading the state’s residents about the safety of its platforms, and ordered Meta to pay US$375 million.

“Today’s jury verdict represents a watershed moment in the effort to hold social media companies accountable for the harm their products inflict on young people,” said Matthew Bergman, one of the LA plaintiff’s lawyers. Bergman founded the Social Media Victims Law Center and has played an active role in the growing legal pressure against Big Tech from families who want to hold these companies accountable on behalf of kids.

The LA verdict “carries implications far beyond this courtroom,” Bergman added. “It establishes a framework for how similar cases across the country will be evaluated and demonstrates that juries are willing to hold technology companies accountable when the evidence shows foreseeable harm. Families pursuing justice in other jurisdictions can now point to this outcome as proof that these claims deserve to be heard and taken seriously.”

The rulings come amid growing global backlash against allowing kids on social media. Australia banned social media companies from allowing children on their platforms late last year, and several countries around the world have since been openly considering or have begun moving forward with bans of their own.

Updated on March 25, 2026: A jury of the State District Court in Santa Fe found Meta liable for misleading users about the safety of its popular online platforms, opening the door to child sexual exploitation and dangerous content.

Mark Zuckerberg’s company has been ordered to pay US$375 million for violating New Mexico’s consumer protection laws. It’s the first time a US state has claimed victory at trial against a major tech company for harming kids and teens.

“The jury’s verdict is a historic victory for every child and family who has paid the price for Meta’s choice to put profits over kids’ safety,” said New Mexico attorney general Raúl Torrez, who first filed the suit in 2023. “Meta executives knew their products harmed children, disregarded warnings from their own employees, and lied to the public about what they knew.”

This was just one of several child safety cases waged against Meta by individuals, families and schools—an ongoing trial in Los Angeles also names YouTube’s parentco Google as a defendant, and focuses on the mental health risks posed by social media.

The US$375-million fine may seem like a slap on the wrist for a major company like Meta, especially compared to the billions in damages that were sought. But in another part of the case that’s on the way (with a bench trial starting on May 4), Torrez hopes to ask the judge to order more penalties and also force changes to Meta’s apps to improve kid safety.

Beyond setting a precedent for future trials and possibly paving the way for user experience changes on platforms like Facebook and Instagram, nonprofit org Sustainable Media Center (SMC) noted that the verdict represents a shift toward more accountability for social media platforms, and will force a transformation in the industry. 

SMC executive director Steven Rosenbaum said in a statement that the verdict also marks a perception shift in how courts, policymakers and everyday users think and talk about social media. “We are entering a new phase,” he said. “One where transparency, accountability, and responsibility are no longer optional. The question now is whether platforms will lead that change, or continue to resist it until they are forced to.”

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Meta plans to appeal the decision. “We work hard to keep people safe on our platforms and are clear about the challenges of identifying and removing bad actors or harmful content,” a spokesperson told multiple outlets. “We will continue to defend ourselves vigorously, and we remain confident in our record of protecting teens online.”

Meta is awaiting verdicts amid a growing wave of litigation against tech companies and the handling of child safety.

For the last six weeks, the social media giant has been under heavy scrutiny in a New Mexico trial, which has scheduled closing arguments for today. Meta is facing accusations that it misled users and failed to disclose how dangerous its platforms are for kids. 

If the Facebook and Instagram owner is found to have violated New Mexico’s consumer protection laws, sanctions could add up to billions of dollars, according to prosecutors. 

In court, internal documents were brought up to reveal how concerns were already being flagged within the company. “Data shows that Instagram had become the leading two-sided marketplace for human trafficking,” states a 2019 email to Instagram boss Adam Mosseri from a member of Meta’s product team, for example.

New Mexico attorney general Raúl Torrez filed the lawsuit back in December 2023, accusing Meta of putting profits over the safety of minors after documenting months of undercover work. “Our investigation into Meta’s social media platforms demonstrates that they are not safe spaces for children but rather prime locations for predators to trade child pornography and solicit minors for sex,” Torrez alleged.

Separately, another case against Meta and Google has unfolded in Los Angeles, emphasizing the addictive nature of social media platforms and the mental health risks posed to its youngest users. It’s also been regarded as one of the “bellwether” trials that could set a legal precedent for social media companies and their responsibility to protect underage users.

The Los Angeles case revolves around a 20-year-old (who goes by the initials KGM) who alleges that her childhood experience of using YouTube and Instagram contributed to struggles with body dysmorphia, depression and thoughts of self-harm, worsened by addictive features.

If the judge ends up ruling against the tech giants in these cases, it could open the door to similar verdicts in thousands of other lawsuits against social media companies going forward, and significant changes to social media algorithms and product design.

For its part, Meta has defended itself and claimed that the recent lawsuits “misrepresent our commitment to creating safe, valuable experiences for young people,” in a January 2026 blog post laying out its track record of “protecting teens and supporting parents.”

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