The jury ruled that social platforms should be held responsible for minors' addiction.

A jury in the Superior Court of Los Angeles County in California, USA, ruled on the 25th that the American metaverse platform company and Google are responsible in a lawsuit regarding the addiction of minors to social media, causing serious impacts on the mental health of a young user. The two companies must compensate the plaintiff with 3 million US dollars. The plaintiff in the case is a 20-year-old woman from California. She accused the photo wall under the metaverse platform company and social media platforms like YouTube under Google of enhancing user stickiness and dependence through features such as infinite scrolling, algorithm recommendations, and automatic video playback, inducing excessive use during her minor years, leading to symptoms such as depression, anxiety, and self-harm thoughts. According to U.S. media reports, the trial of this case started last month, and after more than 40 hours of deliberation, the jury ruled that the two companies should pay the plaintiff 3 million US dollars in compensatory damages. Meta Platforms is responsible for approximately 70% of the compensation amount, with the rest borne by Google. In addition, the jury also found that the behavior of both companies in harming minors through social platforms was malicious, oppressive, or fraudulent, and recommended an additional 3 million US dollars in punitive damages. The final amount of compensation will be determined by the judge. Meta Platforms and Google both expressed disagreement with the ruling and are currently evaluating their response plans. The case originally involved TikTok and Snap, but the two companies reached a settlement with the plaintiff before the trial. U.S. media reports that the ruling in this case is a milestone, marking the first time a jury has held technology companies at least partially responsible for the dangers faced by adolescents and children due to excessive addiction to social media. The outcome of the trial may have an impact on a large number of consolidated lawsuits against social media companies.