A jury on Wednesday ruled against Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) and Alphabet Inc-owned (NASDAQ:GOOG)(NASDAQ:GOOGL) YouTube in a case about social media addiction. Here's the latest.

Meta, YouTube Held Liable By Jury

A lawsuit from a 20-year-old woman alleging that YouTube and Meta Platforms apps were addictive and caused harm to children was won on Wednesday. Meta owns Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and other apps.

The jury ruled in favor of the plaintiff and against the technology giants, with the case proving that Meta and YouTube were negligent in purposefully designing their apps, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.

The apps were found to be harmful to children and made to be addictive on purpose, especially for younger users.

The plaintiff told the court that using the apps from the companies caused anxiety, depression and other harmful impacts due to their addictiveness.

The jury awarded the plaintiff $3 million from both companies.

What Happens Next

The case could be far from over, with Meta and YouTube both likely to appeal the ruling.

The jury's ruling could lead to more cases brought forward against social media and app companies.

Several states have taken on companies like Meta, Snap Inc (NYSE:SNAP), YouTube, and others over their addictiveness among young users and a lack of safeguards in place to protect children.

Social media companies have typically been protected by Section 230, which provides liability protection to websites and platforms against lawsuits concerning content posted by users. The latest ruling could provide a new avenue for mounting legal challenges against the tech giants.  

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