<span>STORY: A landmark verdict Wednesday found Meta and Google liable for designing platforms dangerous to kids and teens.</span><span>Both companies were slapped with damages to the tune of $6 million.</span><span>The Los Angeles jury found Meta liable for $4.2 million of that and Alphabet’s Google for $1.8 million.</span><span>Those are small amounts for two of the world’s most valuable companies… but the decision could force Big Tech to rethink how it defends itself against safety claims.</span><span>Parents and child safety advocates celebrated news of a verdict outside the court:</span><span>LENNON TORRES, OF CHILD ONLINE PROTECTION NONPROFIT HEAT INITIATIVE: “This is the beginning of the tides turning on big tech, for sure.”</span><span>:: Mona Edwards</span><span>The case focused on a 20-year-old woman who said she became addicted to YouTube and Instagram at a young age because of their attention-grabbing design.</span><span>Plaintiffs focused on how social media platforms are designed, and not the content itself. That made it much harder for the companies to be found not liable.</span><span>The jury found both companies negligent in designing both YouTube and Instagram, and they failed to warn of their dangers.</span><span>Snap and TikTok were also defendants, but both settled before the trial began. Those terms weren’t disclosed.</span><span>The plaintiff’s lawyer, Mark Lanier, said Wednesday’s verdict bodes well for thousands of other, similar cases. </span><span>“This is the tip of the spear. And you’ve got to remember, this is what’s called a bellwether. It’s the first trial in the history of American jurisprudence; it usually takes the plaintiffs three or four times to figure out how to win these cases. The plaintiffs are supposed to lose the first three or four. We won.”</span><span>Meta spokesperson Ashly Nikkole Davis gave a statement outside the court:</span><span>“We respectfully disagree with the verdict and will appeal. Teen mental health is profoundly complex and cannot be linked to a single app. We will continue to defend ourselves vigorously as every case is different, and we remain confident in our record of protecting teens online.”</span><span>A Google company spokesperson said they plan to appeal. Meta also said it plans to appeal.</span><span>It all comes as tech companies face rising pressure over child and teen safety.</span><span>The verdict could mark a turning point in the global backlash against their platforms’ perceived mental health harms to kids and teens.</span><span>Collin Walke, who leads Hall Estil’s cybersecurity and data privacy law practice, said the verdict sets a precedent for other cases.</span><span>“I think it’s been a long time coming because it’s not as though any of the facts that came out at trial were particularly surprising to the general public. We’ve known for at least a decade now with tell-all books for former Google and Meta employees who come out and say, hey, we’re using casino-style techniques in our algorithms to try and keep children on our screens so that we can sell more products. So it’s not a particular surprise, long time coming much like the tobacco litigation, so, I think the jury’s verdict will ultimately be upheld.”</span><span>More, separate trials in the U.S. are set for the months ahead.</span><span>Another major trial involving several states and school districts is set for this summer in Oakland, California.</span><span>A separate Los Angeles trial begins in July.</span>
