{"id":1846441,"date":"2026-03-25T17:44:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-25T14:44:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1846441"},"modified":"2026-03-25T17:44:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T14:44:08","slug":"internet-addiction-when-life-is-only-online","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1846441","title":{"rendered":"Internet addiction: When life is only online"},"content":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/70719485_6.jpg”]<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
https:\/\/p.dw.com\/p\/5B7hG<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n
Meta said it was evaluating legal options following the California verdictImage: Dado Ruvic\/REUTERS<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n

A landmark trial against Meta and YouTube<\/a> in California ended with a jury finding the social media companies liable over addictive design.<\/p>\n

The plaintiff was awarded $3 million (\u20ac2.6 million) in damages, 70% of which was to be paid by Meta and 30% by YouTube.<\/p>\n

The amount is likely to grow, however, as the jurors found the companies acted with malice. They are expected to hear new evidence and then retire once again to consider punitive damages.<\/p>\n

“Today’s verdict is a referendum \u2014 from a jury, to an entire industry \u2014 that accountability has arrived,” the plaintiff’s lead counsel said in a statement.<\/p>\n

The plaintiff, a 20-year-old woman, said her mental health was harmed due to using social media as a child, watching YouTube videos when she was 6 then joining Instagram when she was 9, and growing addicted to it.<\/p>\n

\n

Internet addiction: When life is only online<\/h2>\n

She also sought damages from Snap, the developers of Snapchat, and China’s TikTok. Those companies, however, settled with the plaintiff<\/a> before going to trial. The terms of those settlements were not released to the public.<\/p>\n

Social media ‘hooks’ in the spotlight<\/h2>\n

Meta is the owner of multiple social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.<\/p>\n

“We respectfully disagree with the verdict and are evaluating our legal options,” Meta said in a statement following the Wednesday decision.<\/p>\n

Google, the owner of YouTube, did not immediately comment.<\/p>\n

During the widely publicized trial, the woman’s lawyers pointed to design features aimed to “hook” users, including the option of infinite scrolling, autoplay features\u00a0and notifications.<\/p>\n

In turn, Meta’s team argued that “not one of her therapists identified social media as the cause” of her mental struggles, and sought to focus on her troubled home life. However, the plaintiff did not need to prove a direct causal link between social media and her mental health \u2014 rather, the legal requirement was to show it was a “substantial factor.”<\/p>\n

Zuckerberg’s Meta still reeling from New Mexico case<\/h2>\n

Social media companies are facing backlash in the US and all over the world, litigating multiple suits and dealing with new laws restricting social media use for children<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The latest verdict comes hot on the heels of a case in New Mexico, where a jury found Meta liable in a child safety lawsuit<\/a>. The company was ordered to pay $375 million (roughly \u20ac323 million)\u00a0in civil penalties.<\/p>\n

\n

US jury fines Meta in landmark child\u2011safety case<\/h2>\n

Meta signaled it would appeal the New Mexico decision.<\/p>\n

The company, helmed by US billionaire and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, is currently valued at about $1.5 trillion.<\/p>\n

Zuckerberg appeared as a witness<\/a> in the Los Angeles trial last month.<\/p>\n

Edited by: Sean Sinico<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n

\n

A landmark trial against Meta and YouTube<\/a> in California ended with a jury finding the social media companies liable over addictive design.<\/p>\n

The plaintiff was awarded $3 million (\u20ac2.6 million) in damages, 70% of which was to be paid by Meta and 30% by YouTube.<\/p>\n

The amount is likely to grow, however, as the jurors found the companies acted with malice. They are expected to hear new evidence and then retire once again to consider punitive damages.<\/p>\n

“Today’s verdict is a referendum \u2014 from a jury, to an entire industry \u2014 that accountability has arrived,” the plaintiff’s lead counsel said in a statement.<\/p>\n

The plaintiff, a 20-year-old woman, said her mental health was harmed due to using social media as a child, watching YouTube videos when she was 6 then joining Instagram when she was 9, and growing addicted to it.<\/p>\n

\n

Internet addiction: When life is only online<\/h2>\n

She also sought damages from Snap, the developers of Snapchat, and China’s TikTok. Those companies, however, settled with the plaintiff<\/a> before going to trial. The terms of those settlements were not released to the public.<\/p>\n

Social media ‘hooks’ in the spotlight<\/h2>\n

Meta is the owner of multiple social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.<\/p>\n

“We respectfully disagree with the verdict and are evaluating our legal options,” Meta said in a statement following the Wednesday decision.<\/p>\n

Google, the owner of YouTube, did not immediately comment.<\/p>\n

During the widely publicized trial, the woman’s lawyers pointed to design features aimed to “hook” users, including the option of infinite scrolling, autoplay features\u00a0and notifications.<\/p>\n

In turn, Meta’s team argued that “not one of her therapists identified social media as the cause” of her mental struggles, and sought to focus on her troubled home life. However, the plaintiff did not need to prove a direct causal link between social media and her mental health \u2014 rather, the legal requirement was to show it was a “substantial factor.”<\/p>\n

Zuckerberg’s Meta still reeling from New Mexico case<\/h2>\n

Social media companies are facing backlash in the US and all over the world, litigating multiple suits and dealing with new laws restricting social media use for children<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The latest verdict comes hot on the heels of a case in New Mexico, where a jury found Meta liable in a child safety lawsuit<\/a>. The company was ordered to pay $375 million (roughly \u20ac323 million)\u00a0in civil penalties.<\/p>\n

\n

US jury fines Meta in landmark child\u2011safety case<\/h2>\n

Meta signaled it would appeal the New Mexico decision.<\/p>\n

The company, helmed by US billionaire and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, is currently valued at about $1.5 trillion.<\/p>\n

Zuckerberg appeared as a witness<\/a> in the Los Angeles trial last month.<\/p>\n

Edited by: Sean Sinico<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

A landmark trial against Meta and YouTube<\/a> in California ended with a jury finding the social media companies liable over addictive design.<\/p>\n

The plaintiff was awarded $3 million (\u20ac2.6 million) in damages, 70% of which was to be paid by Meta and 30% by YouTube.<\/p>\n

The amount is likely to grow, however, as the jurors found the companies acted with malice. They are expected to hear new evidence and then retire once again to consider punitive damages.<\/p>\n

“Today’s verdict is a referendum \u2014 from a jury, to an entire industry \u2014 that accountability has arrived,” the plaintiff’s lead counsel said in a statement.<\/p>\n

The plaintiff, a 20-year-old woman, said her mental health was harmed due to using social media as a child, watching YouTube videos when she was 6 then joining Instagram when she was 9, and growing addicted to it.<\/p>\n

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video<\/a><\/p>\n

She also sought damages from Snap, the developers of Snapchat, and China’s TikTok. Those companies, however, settled with the plaintiff<\/a> before going to trial. The terms of those settlements were not released to the public.<\/p>\n

Meta is the owner of multiple social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.<\/p>\n

“We respectfully disagree with the verdict and are evaluating our legal options,” Meta said in a statement following the Wednesday decision.<\/p>\n

Google, the owner of YouTube, did not immediately comment.<\/p>\n

During the widely publicized trial, the woman’s lawyers pointed to design features aimed to “hook” users, including the option of infinite scrolling, autoplay features\u00a0and notifications.<\/p>\n

In turn, Meta’s team argued that “not one of her therapists identified social media as the cause” of her mental struggles, and sought to focus on her troubled home life. However, the plaintiff did not need to prove a direct causal link between social media and her mental health \u2014 rather, the legal requirement was to show it was a “substantial factor.”<\/p>\n

Social media companies are facing backlash in the US and all over the world, litigating multiple suits and dealing with new laws restricting social media use for children<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The latest verdict comes hot on the heels of a case in New Mexico, where a jury found Meta liable in a child safety lawsuit<\/a>. The company was ordered to pay $375 million (roughly \u20ac323 million)\u00a0in civil penalties.<\/p>\n

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video<\/a><\/p>\n

Meta signaled it would appeal the New Mexico decision.<\/p>\n

The company, helmed by US billionaire and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, is currently valued at about $1.5 trillion.<\/p>\n

Zuckerberg appeared as a witness<\/a> in the Los Angeles trial last month.<\/p>\n

Edited by: Sean Sinico<\/em><\/p>\n

[analyse_source url=”https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/meta-youtube-found-liable-in-us-social-media-addiction-case\/a-76532878″]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/70719485_6.jpg”] https:\/\/p.dw.com\/p\/5B7hG Meta said it was evaluating legal options following the California verdictImage: Dado Ruvic\/REUTERS A landmark trial against Meta and YouTube in California ended with a jury finding the social media companies liable over addictive design. The plaintiff was awarded $3 million (\u20ac2.6 million) in damages, 70% of which was to be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,74],"class_list":["post-1846441","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-dw-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1846441","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1846441"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1846441\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1846441"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1846441"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1846441"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}