Meta Challenges Ruling on Youth Social Media Addiction Liability

WHO:

AP News - Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, is involved in the lawsuit.

AP News - The plaintiff is a 20-year-old woman identified by her initials KGM and her first name Kaley.

AP News - Mark Lanier is the lead attorney representing Kaley.

AP News - José Castañeda is a spokesperson for Google.

WHAT:

AP News - Meta has appealed a jury verdict that found it liable for social media addiction among young users.

AP News - The jury awarded Kaley $3 million in damages and recommended an additional $3 million in punitive damages.

AP News - Meta and Google filed post-trial motions for judgment notwithstanding the verdict and for a new trial, which were denied by the trial judge.

KOMO - Meta is facing a proposed penalty of $1.4 trillion sought by four states over claims that Facebook and Instagram harmed young users.

WHERE:

AP News - The lawsuit is taking place in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

KOMO - Meta is heading to trial in California.

WHEN:

AP News - The jury reached its verdict in March.

KOMO - The trial in California is scheduled for next month.

WHY:

AP News - The case centers on claims that Meta designed its platforms to hook young users without concern for their well-being.

AP News - The plaintiffs focused on design features like "infinite scroll" and autoplay functions to bypass legal protections under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.

HOW:

AP News - Meta's appeal process will involve subsequent court filings to present their arguments.

AP News - The trial lasted five weeks, during which the defendants raised objections regarding content-related territory.

(UPDATED July 11, 2026 05:52 UTC)

Meta is appealing a jury verdict that found the company liable for social media addiction among young users, awarding a 20-year-old woman named Kaley $3 million in damages and recommending an additional $3 million in punitive damages. The lawsuit, which is taking place in Los Angeles County Superior Court, claims that Meta designed its platforms to hook young users without regard for their well-being, focusing on features like "infinite scroll" and autoplay functions. The trial in California is scheduled for next month, and Meta, along with Google, has filed post-trial motions that were denied by the trial judge.