LOS ANGELES (dpa-AFX) – The Facebook group Meta (Meta Platforms (ex Facebook)) and the Google video platform (Alphabet C (ex Google)) YouTube have suffered a defeat in a US trial about the addictive potential of online services. Jurors in Los Angeles concluded that the platforms acted negligently and did not adequately inform users about risks, as US media reported from the courtroom.
The jury awarded the 20-year-old plaintiff an amount of three million dollars as compensation, 70 percent of which was to be paid by Meta. In a second step, they ordered an additional fine of another three million, which the companies should bear in the same proportion.
Google and Meta announced that they would appeal the ruling. Google emphasizes that YouTube does not even belong to the category of social media.
Potentially game-changing process
In the lawsuit, the 20-year-old plaintiff, who went by the initials KGM, accused online platforms of intentionally designing their services in such a way that users become addicted to them. For example, this is about the function that allows you to keep scrolling to the next post. According to her, the woman began using the platforms as a child – and attributes her depression and anxiety to this.
The lawsuit was most recently directed against YouTube and the photo and video service Instagram, which is owned by Meta Group. The companies behind the competitors who were also originally sued Snapchat and Tiktok escaped the process through a settlement.
Hundreds more lawsuits
The outcome of the case could have a groundbreaking effect for hundreds of other lawsuits of a similar nature. Meta and Google rejected the allegations in the process. Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg was also questioned in front of the jury in the trial.
Just the day before, a jury in the US state of New Mexico had sentenced Meta to a fine of $375 million because, according to a US jury, the company had not done enough to protect young users against its better judgment. Meta wants to appeal./so/DP/e.g
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