Jury reaches verdict in Los Angeles social media trial
A jury in Los Angeles, California, has reached a verdict on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, in a lawsuit that a 20-year-old woman filed against Meta and YouTube.
Jurors cite combined evidence, question Zuckerberg testimony in social media addiction trial
Two jurors in the social media addiction trial said the verdict against Meta and Google’s YouTube was driven by the totality of the evidence, not a single moment in the case.
“There wasn’t a single piece of evidence. It was all the evidence combined to tell this story,” said the jury foreman, who identified himself as Matthew.
Juror Victoria also pointed to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s testimony as a factor in deliberations.
“He changed his testimony a couple times. That didn’t sit well with us,” she said. “He’s the guru and he should have known what he was going to say on the stand before he said anything.”
On punitive damages, jurors said they considered the plaintiff’s long-term earning potential and the impact of her mental health struggles.
“We considered what she had gone through and the kind of job she’d be able to hold down,” Matthew said.
Both jurors emphasized the panel focused closely on instructions, despite differing opinions during deliberations.
"We all had opinions that were heard," Matthew said. "Every opinion was considered and carried weight. Some people came to different conclusions than others."
Victoria added that she'll "probably stay off" social media after the experience.
"I don’t use a lot of social media so this was a big experience for me, so I learned a lot of things. I’ll probably stay off it," she said.
FOX Business' Marcus Mulick contributed to this reporting.
White House unveils AI advisory board as Big Tech faces liability verdict
The White House on Wednesday unveiled the first members of President Donald Trump’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, a group tasked with helping shape policy and regulations around artificial intelligence (AI) and emerging technologies.
The council includes several high-profile tech leaders, including Google co-founder Sergey Brin, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, Oracle founder Larry Ellison and AMD CEO Lisa Su.
The announcement comes the same day a Los Angeles jury found Meta and Google’s YouTube liable in a closely watched case accusing social media platforms of designing addictive products for young users.
Asked whether the verdict could influence how the Trump administration weighs input from tech leaders, a spokesperson for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy emphasized that the president retains final authority.
“President Trump assembled a PCAST that brings together the nation’s top leaders in science and technology,” the spokesperson said. “While the President is always willing to hear from outside perspectives, he makes the final decision based on what is best for the American people.”
FOX Business' Edward Lawrence contributed to this reporting.
Meta says it will appeal $6M verdict, defends teen safety record
Meta said it will appeal the verdict in the closely watched social media addiction trial, defending its platforms after punitive damages were announced on Wednesday.
“We respectfully disagree with the verdict and will appeal,” Meta spokeswoman Ashly Nikkole Davis said.
“Teen mental health is profoundly complex and cannot be linked to a single act,” she added, saying the company remains “confident in our record of protecting teens online.”
The statement comes after a Los Angeles jury awarded $6 million in total damages against Meta and Google’s YouTube, including both compensatory and punitive damages.
Meta, YouTube hit with $3M in punitive damages after liability verdict
A Los Angeles jury has awarded $3 million in punitive damages against Meta and Google’s YouTube, on top of the $3 million in compensatory damages already awarded in the social media addiction trial.
Jurors ordered Meta to pay $2.1 million in punitive damages and YouTube to pay $900,000.
With compensatory damages split 70% to Meta and 30% to YouTube, the grand totals now stand at $4.2 million for Meta and $1.8 million for YouTube.
Jurors previously found both companies liable, allowing punitive damages to be assessed.
Nine jurors answered affirmatively, three answered no to punitive damages for both Meta and YouTube. Nine out of 12 jurors needed to affirm to assign punitive damages.
FOX Business' Kristen Holowka contributed to this reporting.
Plaintiffs call verdict ‘historic,’ say Big Tech accountability ‘has arrived’
Attorneys representing the plaintiff in the social media addiction case called Wednesday’s verdict a “historic moment,” saying it marks a turning point for families pursuing similar claims against major tech platforms.
“Today’s verdict is a historic moment — for Kaley and for the thousands of children and families who have been waiting for this day,” co-lead counsel Rachel Lanier said in a statement.
Lanier said the jury “heard what Meta and YouTube knew and when they knew it, and held them accountable for their conduct,” adding, “Today’s verdict belongs to Kaley.”
She also framed the decision as broader than a single case, arguing it sends a message to the Big Tech industry.
“Today’s verdict is a referendum — from a jury, to an entire industry — that accountability has arrived,” Lanier said.
Social media addiction trial attorney reportedly uses candy jar to show net worth of Big Tech giants
Jurors are deliberating now to determine punitive damages against Meta and YouTube.
The judge told the jury they can consider the total stockholders equity as the valuation of each company - that was determined to be $415 billion for Google and $217 billion for Meta.
Plaintiff lead attorney Mark Lanier pulled out a jar with 415 M&Ms in it. He took out a few of them to demonstrate to jurors that taking out just a few isn’t even felt by the companies.
“Do you want to be heard in this room? The city of Los Angeles? All the way up in Palo Alto in their board room? These companies arent just the wealthiest - they’re the most influential and powerful. They’ll know within 3 seconds exactly what your verdict is when it’s spoken out in court,” said Lanier. "I think about the influence you have on future conduct. How should these companies behave when it comes to children. That’s what we get to deal with now.”
Both Luis Li (YouTube) and Paul Schmidt (Meta) used their time to show the jurors all the steps the companies had taken to promote safety. Li also personally apologized to KGM on behalf of YouTube.
“We are sorry or the things you've suffered. We at [YouTube] truly truly hope there have been things about [YouTube] that have allowed to you express yourself and do cool things,” said Li.
Schmidt reiterated the jury instruction that the punitive damages are only meant for Kaley and not to represent any other cases.
In his rebuttal, Lanier called the safety features Band-Aids.
"The last thing they want is for you to be held accountable for what they’ve done. Those instructions talk about how you should discourage and punish them for what they’ve done wrong. Read those instructions and tell them safety should be their first goal,” Lanier said.
Reporting from FOX Business' Marcus Mulick.
Google says it will appeal social media addiction verdict
Google said it plans to appeal a Los Angeles jury’s verdict finding the company liable in a closely watched social media addiction case.
“We disagree with the verdict and plan to appeal,” spokesperson José Castañeda said in a statement to FOX Business.
Castañeda also pushed back on how the platform was characterized during the trial, adding: “This case misunderstands YouTube, which is a responsibly built streaming platform, not a social media site.”
The verdict found both Google and Meta liable and awarded the plaintiff $3 million in damages. Jurors also determined the companies acted with “malice, oppression, or fraud,” allowing for additional punitive damages to be considered.
FOX Business' Kristen Holowka contributed to this reporting.
Punitive damages phase of deliberations set to begin in Meta, Google trial
The punitive damages phase in the closely watched social media addiction trial against Meta and Google is set to begin around 11 a.m. PT, a member of the plaintiffs’ legal team told FOX Business.
Jurors will first hear stipulations regarding the big tech companies’ net worth before both sides present arguments over how much should be awarded in punitive damages.
While punitive deliberations in similar cases can move quickly—sometimes in under an hour—this jury has not moved as fast in earlier phases of the trial, making it difficult to predict how long a decision could take.
FOX Business' Marcus Mulick contributed to this reporting.
Meta 'respectfully' disagrees with social media trial verdict, stresses 'jurors were not unanimous'
A Meta spokesperson said following the decision Wednesday in the social media trial that, “We respectfully disagree with the verdict and are evaluating our legal options.”
The comment comes as jurors – who found Meta and Google liable in a closely watched trial accusing social media platforms of designing their products to get young users addicted – were not unanimous in their decision.
Ten out of the 12 jurors responded in the affirmative for a series of questions on verdict forms for Meta and YouTube, but only 9 out of 12 were needed to return liable verdicts.
The plantiff’s lawsuit alleged that companies behind several major platforms designed their products in ways that encouraged compulsive use among young people.
Jurors listened to about a month of lawyers’ arguments, testimony and evidence, and from the plaintiff herself. She said she began using YouTube at age 6 and Instagram at age 9 and told the jury she was on social media "all day long" as a child.
Her lawyers noted specific design features they said were designed to "hook" young users, like the "infinite" nature of feeds that allowed for an endless supply of content, autoplay features, and even notifications.
The landmark trial had been closely watched as one of the first to test in front of a jury whether social media companies can be held legally responsible for alleged harms tied to youth use of their platforms.
Fox News’ Louis Casiano and Kristen Holowka contributed to this report.
Meta, Google to be hit with punitive damages on top of $3M
The Los Angeles jury that found Meta and Google liable Wednesday in the social media trial awarded the now 20-year-old plaintiff $3 million in damages.
Meta is liable for 70% of that amount, while Google is liable for 30%.
Jurors also found that both Meta and YouTube have acted with "malice, oppression, or fraud” which means there will be punitive damages determined on top of the $3 million in compensatory damages. There will be a hearing where all parties have 20 minutes to speak to assess punitive damages.
The case centered on a woman identified as K.G.M., who said social media platforms encouraged addictive use when she was a minor and contributed to depression and suicidal thoughts.
Her lawsuit alleged that companies behind several major platforms designed their products in ways that encouraged compulsive use among young people.
Fox News’ Kristen Holowka contributed to this report.
Jury finds Meta, Google liable in landmark social media addiction trial, awards $3M in damages
A Los Angeles jury on Wednesday found Meta and Google liable in a closely watched trial accusing social media platforms of designing their products to get young users addicted, awarding the plaintiff $3 million in damages.
The verdict came after nine days, roughly 43 hours of deliberations.
The case centered on a now 20-year-old California woman identified as K.G.M., who said social media platforms encouraged addictive use when she was a minor and contributed to depression and suicidal thoughts.
Her lawsuit alleged that companies behind several major platforms designed their products in ways that encouraged compulsive use among young people.
The companies have denied wrongdoing and argued their services include safety tools and parental controls.
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