Google\u2019s video-sharing platform, YouTube, has officially resolved a\nlegal lawsuit regarding a social media addiction case filed by a\n15-year-old teenager in Florida, United States. This settlement\nrepresents a new legal blow to a series of online platforms frequently\naccused of triggering mental health crises among children.<\/p>\n
The teenager, identified by the initials R.K.C. in court documents,\nalleged that YouTube and other social media companies deliberately\ndesigned their platforms to make users addicted.<\/p>\n
Responding to the settlement, Google spokesperson Jos\u00e9 Casta\u00f1eda\nissued an official statement regarding the company\u2019s future commitment.\n\u201cThis matter has been resolved amicably, and our focus remains on\nbuilding age-appropriate products and parental controls that deliver on\nthat promise,\u201d Casta\u00f1eda told the BBC.<\/p>\n
Despite settling with YouTube, R.K.C. is reportedly proceeding with\nlegal action against the parent company of Instagram (Meta), TikTok, and\nSnap Inc.\u00a0The trial for these three tech giants is scheduled to begin on\n27 July.<\/p>\n
The lawsuit filed by R.K.C. is the second case to emerge publicly\nfollowing a similar case won by a 20-year-old woman from California,\nK.G.M. Earlier this year, K.G.M. successfully won damages of US$6\nmillion (approximately Rp98 billion) against YouTube and Meta. Before\nK.G.M.\u2019s trial commenced, Snap and TikTok had already opted for\nsettlements.<\/p>\n
Legal counsel for R.K.C., John Morgan and Emily Jeffcott, shared\ntheir views on how these technology companies operate. \u201cAs seen by the\njury in the first trial, leadership in these social media companies has\ndevised strategies over many years to ensnare children from an early age\nand maximise their usage,\u201d Morgan and Jeffcott stated in a joint\nannouncement.<\/p>\n
They added that several popular features, such as autoplay and\ninfinite scroll, were intentionally designed \u201cwith the aim of increasing\nprofits at the expense of the mental health of our younger\ngeneration.\u201d<\/p>\n
On the other hand, Google asserted to the BBC that they have built\nYouTube responsibly for over a decade. The company stated they always\nwork alongside families to provide a safer and more beneficial online\nexperience for young users.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/youtube-settles-lawsuit-with-15-year-old-over-social-media-addiction-1782258615", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }