Meta and Google are found liable for harm to child’s mental health in landmark ruling

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Source: BMJ

Original: http://www.bmj.com/content/392/bmj.s602.short?rss=1...

Published: 2026-03-27T05:06:11-07:00

A US jury found Meta and Google liable for harming a young user's mental health. The Los Angeles court found that the companies' platforms were intentionally designed to contribute to plaintiff KGM's anxiety, depression and body dysmorphia. Addictive features include notifications and auto-play videos. These features were designed to encourage compulsive use and exploit development bugs in KGM. The plaintiff alleges that these functions contributed to the deterioration of her mental health. Meta claimed that KGM's mental problems were caused by family abuse. Meta said it no longer sets internal targets for users' time spent on the platform.