A US jury has found Meta and Google liable for causing social media addiction among users, following over 40 hours of intense deliberation in a California federal court. The court ordered the companies to begin compensating victims and to make immediate changes to their recommendation algorithms.

This ruling sets a historic legal precedent that could pave the way for thousands of similar lawsuits filed by families, schools, and health institutions. The companies face documented accusations of designing platforms with psychologically targeted algorithms aimed at keeping users, especially children and teenagers, engaged for as long as possible, leading to severe mental health harms such as anxiety and depression.

Both companies are expected to appeal the verdict. Defense attorneys warned that this decision could entirely alter the landscape of the open internet and threaten free, ad-based business models, arguing that responsibility should be shared with parents and educational institutions.