A Los Angeles court ruling is expected to significantly change the debate over online platforms. The court has found Google and Meta liable for the addiction of young people to social networks.
The decision came at the end of a lawsuit filed by a 20-year-old California woman who alleged that YouTube (owned by Google) and Instagram (owned by Meta) had contributed to the deterioration of her mental health, leading her to depression and suicidal thoughts from a young age.
The accusations against the two companies are not only related to the content published on their platforms, but also to the way the social networks themselves are built. The plaintiff's lawyers emphasized the role of recommendation algorithms, which constantly suggest content to keep users connected to the screen for as long as possible. The notification system and the lack of filters that would prevent minors from accessing potentially harmful content were also criticized.
The ruling is expected to trigger thousands of similar lawsuits in the United States. The ruling could also force Meta and Google to rethink how their platforms operate, changing some of the key mechanisms of their recommendation algorithms.
The Los Angeles case involved a young woman who said she became addicted to the apps at a young age because of the way they were designed to attract users' attention. This approach to the lawsuit – which focused on the platform's design rather than the content – made it harder for companies to avoid liability.
According to the Pew Research Center, at least half of American teenagers use YouTube or Instagram every day.
Over the past decade, major US technology companies have faced increasing criticism over the safety of children and teenagers online. The debate has now moved to the courts and at the federal and state levels, as the US Congress has failed to pass a comprehensive law to regulate social networks.
