By AFP
March 23, 2026
Mark Lanier, a lawyer for plaintiffs in the social media addiction trial in Los Angeles, speaking with journalists on Friday, March 20 - Copyright AFP Apu GOMES
Romain FONSEGRIVES
The jurors in a landmark social media trial signaled Monday that they could not reach a consensus against one of the two defendants, Meta and YouTube.
“The jury has difficulty coming to a consensus regarding one defendant, do you have any advice on how to move forward?” the jurors told Judge Carolyn Kuhl, according to a note she read out loud.
Kuhl responded by asking the jurors to continue their deliberations.
“If you are unable to reach a verdict, the case will have to be applied before another jury selected in the same manner and from the same community from which you were chosen, and add additional cost to everyone,” she told the jurors.
The development came after the jury’s first full week of deliberations ended Friday with the panel sending the judge a query related to calculating damages in the case, which is expected to set a precedent for thousands of similar suits in the United States.
That indicated enough jurors agreed that one or both of the tech platforms was negligently or harmfully designed and users should have been warned, according to verdict forms.
The lawsuit is one of hundreds accusing social media firms of luring young users into becoming addicted to their content and potentially suffering from depression, eating disorders, psychiatric hospitalization and even suicide.
– ‘Negligent’ designs –
Internet titans have long shielded themselves with Section 230 of the US Communications Decency Act, which frees them of responsibility for what social media users post.
But this case argues that the firms are responsible for defective products, with business models designed to hold people’s attention and to promote content that can harm their mental health.
The verdict could turn on the question of whether familial strife and other real-world trauma, or rather YouTube and Meta apps such as Instagram, are to blame for the mental woes of the woman who filed the suit.
A 20-year-old California woman identified as Kaley G.M. testified at the trial that YouTube and Instagram fueled her depression and suicidal thoughts as a child, telling jurors that she became obsessed with social media, starting with YouTube videos, when she was six.
Under cross examination, however, Kaley also talked about feeling neglected, berated and picked on by family members.
A jury form given to jurors asks the panel to decide whether Meta or YouTube should have known their services posed a danger to children or if they were negligent in design.
If so, jurors are to decide if Meta or YouTube were “substantial factors” in causing Kaley’s woes and how much they should pay in damages.
Meta awaits verdict in New Mexico child safety trial
By AFP
March 24, 2026
New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez filed suit in 2023 against Meta, alleging the company failed to protect children from sexual abuse, online solicitation and human trafficking - Copyright GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP Jemal Countess
A New Mexico jury began its first full day of deliberations on Tuesday in a trial where social media giant Meta is accused of endangering children by making them vulnerable to predators.
The state of New Mexico is seeking billions of dollars in penalties in one of two major US cases against the company now in jury hands.
A separate jury in California is weighing whether Meta and YouTube should be held liable for harms caused to children on their platforms, including by making them addictive.
That case is considered a bellwether that could influence the outcome of thousands of similar lawsuits against social media companies across the United States.
The New Mexico jury began its work following closing arguments and a six-week trial involving testimony from 40 witnesses, including employees turned whistle-blowers, and hundreds of documents, reports and emails.
New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez filed suit in 2023 against Meta — parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp — and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, alleging the company failed to protect children from sexual abuse, online solicitation and human trafficking.
Prosecution attorney Linda Singer told jurors in closing arguments that Meta’s algorithms had directed adults toward content posted by teenage users while the company concealed internal findings about the risks to young people.
“Meta failed to explain that the algorithm was designed to maximize teen time spent on the platform,” Singer said, according to the Albuquerque Journal. “Meta didn’t disclose the likelihood that the algorithm would introduce predators to teens, that it would recommend such sensational and harmful content.”
A Meta spokesperson said the state’s case was “sensationalist” and based on “cherry-picked” documents. “The State failed to prove its case,” the spokesperson said. “We’re focused on demonstrating our longstanding commitment to supporting young people.”
The state is seeking the maximum civil penalty of $5,000 for each of an estimated 221,000 New Mexico teenagers it says use Facebook and Instagram, a figure that is contested by Meta.
New Mexico’s attorneys must prove Meta violated the state’s Unfair Practices Act by misleading residents about the safety of its products for children.
The case, tried before First Judicial District Court Judge Bryan Biedscheid, is among the first involving social media platforms and child safety to reach a jury.
A second phase of proceedings in New Mexico is scheduled for May, when a judge will hear the state’s claim that Meta created a public nuisance and should fund programs to address alleged harms to children.
By AFP
March 24, 2026
New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez filed suit in 2023 against Meta, alleging the company failed to protect children from sexual abuse, online solicitation and human trafficking - Copyright GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP Jemal Countess
A New Mexico jury began its first full day of deliberations on Tuesday in a trial where social media giant Meta is accused of endangering children by making them vulnerable to predators.
The state of New Mexico is seeking billions of dollars in penalties in one of two major US cases against the company now in jury hands.
A separate jury in California is weighing whether Meta and YouTube should be held liable for harms caused to children on their platforms, including by making them addictive.
That case is considered a bellwether that could influence the outcome of thousands of similar lawsuits against social media companies across the United States.
The New Mexico jury began its work following closing arguments and a six-week trial involving testimony from 40 witnesses, including employees turned whistle-blowers, and hundreds of documents, reports and emails.
New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez filed suit in 2023 against Meta — parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp — and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, alleging the company failed to protect children from sexual abuse, online solicitation and human trafficking.
Prosecution attorney Linda Singer told jurors in closing arguments that Meta’s algorithms had directed adults toward content posted by teenage users while the company concealed internal findings about the risks to young people.
“Meta failed to explain that the algorithm was designed to maximize teen time spent on the platform,” Singer said, according to the Albuquerque Journal. “Meta didn’t disclose the likelihood that the algorithm would introduce predators to teens, that it would recommend such sensational and harmful content.”
A Meta spokesperson said the state’s case was “sensationalist” and based on “cherry-picked” documents. “The State failed to prove its case,” the spokesperson said. “We’re focused on demonstrating our longstanding commitment to supporting young people.”
The state is seeking the maximum civil penalty of $5,000 for each of an estimated 221,000 New Mexico teenagers it says use Facebook and Instagram, a figure that is contested by Meta.
New Mexico’s attorneys must prove Meta violated the state’s Unfair Practices Act by misleading residents about the safety of its products for children.
The case, tried before First Judicial District Court Judge Bryan Biedscheid, is among the first involving social media platforms and child safety to reach a jury.
A second phase of proceedings in New Mexico is scheduled for May, when a judge will hear the state’s claim that Meta created a public nuisance and should fund programs to address alleged harms to children.
No comments:
Post a Comment