Judge Denies New Trial for Meta and Google in Youth Social Media Addiction Case

A California state court judge has rejected requests from Meta Platforms and Google's YouTube for a new trial following a jury verdict that found both companies liable for designing social media platforms harmful to young users.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Carolyn Kuhl issued her ruling on Tuesday, according to court documents, denying motions the companies had filed after a jury found them negligent and imposed $6 million in damages.

The lawsuit was brought by a woman who said she became addicted to YouTube and Instagram at a young age because of the platforms' attention-grabbing design features.

At the center of the companies' argument was Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, a federal law that broadly shields online platforms from liability for user-generated content. Kuhl rejected that defense, ruling that Section 230 does not govern the companies' design choices.

"There was substantial evidence that Plaintiff was harmed by the design features of Instagram, regardless of any of the content found on that platform," Kuhl wrote in her ruling. She also noted that the jury had been repeatedly instructed not to consider content in reaching its verdict.

A spokesperson for Meta said the company disagreed with the decision. "The plaintiffs' legal theory attempts to improperly circumvent Section 230 and the First Amendment, and we expect this ruling to be overturned on appeal," the spokesperson said in a statement.

Google spokesperson José Castañeda said in a statement that the company also plans to appeal.

Mark Lanier, an attorney for the plaintiff, said the outcome came as no surprise. "The evidence of fault was mountain high," Lanier said.

The ruling adds to a growing body of litigation against major social media platforms over their alleged role in youth mental health harms. Both companies have faced mounting pressure from lawmakers, regulators, and parents across the country over the psychological effects their products have on minors.

With both Meta and Google committing to appeals, the case is now expected to move into a higher court, where the scope of Section 230 protections — and their application to product design rather than content moderation — will likely face renewed scrutiny. The outcome could have broad implications for how platform liability is defined across the industry.

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