On March 25th, a Los Angeles jury concluded that Meta and Alphabet, Google’s parent company, had acted negligently in the design of social media platforms that harmed young people, awarding them $6 million in damages and interest in a case that is seen as opening the way to similar lawsuits.
According to the court decision, Meta must pay $4.2 million in damages and interest, while Google must pay $1.8 million.
Although the amount may not be significant compared to the scale of the two technology giants, this case is considered typical among thousands of similar lawsuits filed in California state courts.
The plaintiff, a 20-year-old woman identified in court documents as Kaley, claims to have been “hooked” on platforms like YouTube (Google) and Instagram (Meta) since childhood because of their attractive design, including the unlimited scrolling feature that constantly exposes users to new content.
The jury found that both companies not only designed the products harmfully, but also failed to provide adequate warnings about these risks.
Plaintiffs’ legal representatives argued that this decision showed the increased responsibility of the technology sector with regards to the impact of its products. Meta and Google, on their part, have disputed the court’s conclusion and announced their intention to appeal.
This lawsuit comes amid growing criticism of major American technology companies regarding the safety of children and teenagers. While U.S. law still heavily protects social networks from any liability for user-generated content, this lawsuit addresses the very design of the platforms – a different legal approach.
Experts believe this decision could prompt companies to strengthen their consumer protection measures, even if the legal process may be lengthy and involve multiple levels of jurisdiction.
At the same time, the U.S. Congress has not yet passed comprehensive legislation to regulate social media, although many states have enacted regulations related to their use by children, including age verification requirements and restrictions on the use of cell phones in schools.
Several other lawsuits related to allegations of social media addiction are expected to take place soon, including those targeting platforms like Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Snapchat.
Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/cac-ong-lon-cong-nghe-doi-mat-cao-buoc-khien-gioi-tre-nghien-mang-xa-hoi-post1101174.vnp
