A California state court judge has rejected bids by Meta Platforms and Google’s YouTube for a new trial, upholding a landmark jury verdict that found the tech giants liable for intentionally designing addictive social media platforms that harm young people.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Carolyn Kuhl issued the ruling on Tuesday, according to court documents, dealing a major blow to the companies' efforts to overturn the historic decision, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
The legal battle stems from a high-profile trial that concluded in March, where a 12-person jury found both companies negligent and ordered them to pay a combined $6 million in compensatory and punitive damages. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of a 20-year-old woman, identified in court documents as KGM, who developed severe anxiety, depression, and body dysmorphia after becoming addicted to Instagram and YouTube as a young child.
Attorneys for the plaintiff successfully argued a novel "product defect" theory, convincing the jury that features like infinite scroll, autoplay, and manipulative algorithms were engineered specifically to bypass parental controls and exploit developing brains. By focusing on the structural design of the apps rather than user-generated content, the case successfully bypassed Section 230 protections, which traditionally shield tech platforms from liability.
Under the original verdict, Meta was found 70% responsible for the damages, while Google carried 30% of the liability. While both tech giants have aggressively denied the allegations—maintaining that they have robust safety tools for teens—Judge Kuhl's denial of a retrial clears the path for the companies to take their fight to the California appellate courts.
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