Victory in Lawsuit! Meta and YouTube Fined Rp47 Billion Over Social Media Addiction
A significant legal precedent has just been established in the United States. A jury in Los Angeles Court has ruled in favour of a 20-year-old woman, known as Kaley, in a case involving social media addiction from childhood.
The jury determined that Meta (the parent company of Instagram and Facebook) and Google (owner of YouTube) intentionally designed addictive platforms that damaged Kaley’s mental health. For this harm, Kaley has been awarded compensation of US$3 million, equivalent to approximately Rp47.3 billion.
According to the ruling, Meta bears the greatest responsibility at 70%, while YouTube is accountable for the remaining 30%. This penalty amount could swell to US$30 million (Rp473 billion) once the court determines the value of punitive damages.
In her emotional testimony, Kaley revealed that she began using YouTube at age 6 and Instagram at age 9, with no age restrictions imposed by the platforms.
“I stopped interacting with my family because I spent all my time on social media,” Kaley stated.
The impacts were severe. At age 10, she began suffering from anxiety and depression. Kaley was also diagnosed with body dysmorphic disorder, a condition that causes excessive obsession with physical appearance. She admitted to continuously using Instagram filters to shrink her nose and enlarge her eyes since she was young.
Kaley’s legal team argued that features like infinite scroll were designed as “addiction machines”. It was even revealed that Kaley had used Instagram for up to 16 hours a day.
In response to the ruling, Meta and Google have stated they will appeal. Meta claimed that adolescent mental health is a highly complex issue and cannot be attributed solely to one app.
“We will continue to defend ourselves vigorously because every case is different, and we remain confident in our track record of protecting teenagers online,” read Meta’s official statement.
Meanwhile, a Google spokesperson argued that the plaintiff misunderstood the nature of their platform. “This case misunderstands YouTube, which is a responsibly built streaming platform, not a social media site.”
Kaley’s victory serves as a warning signal to other technology companies. Mike Proulx, Research Director at Forrester, noted that public sentiment against social media has now reached a “boiling point”.
This ruling came just one day after a jury in New Mexico also held Meta responsible for allowing children to be exposed to explicit sexual material and online predators.
Kaley’s case now opens the door for hundreds of similar lawsuits pending in US courts. Her legal team emphasised that this ruling sends a clear message: “No company is above the law when it comes to the safety of our children.” (BBC/Z-2)