Meta, Google denied new trial in youth social media addiction case | Latest Tech News
A California state court choose has denied motions by Meta Platforms and Google’s YouTube looking for a new trial after a jury discovered the firms liable for designing social media platforms that are dangerous to younger people.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Carolyn Kuhl ruled on the motions on Tuesday, according to court paperwork.
The firms had sought a new trial in a lawsuit filed by a girl who said she grew to become addicted to Google’s YouTube and Meta’s Instagram at a younger age because of their attention-grabbing design.
A jury discovered Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta and Google liable for designing social media platforms that are dangerous to younger people. Getty Images
A jury discovered the businesses negligent and imposed $6 million in damages.
Kuhl rejected the businesses’ argument that they’re shielded from the claims by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, a federal law that typically protects online platforms from legal responsibility over user-generated content.
Kuhl said the law doesn’t deal with the businesses’ design decisions and the jury was repeatedly instructed not to contemplate content.
“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 a assertion, a spokesperson for Meta said the company disagreed with the ruling.
“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.
Images of deceased youngsters are displayed at the ‘Lost Screen Memorial’ in Los Angeles in February. AFP via Getty Images
José Castañeda, a spokesperson for Google, said in a assertion that the company plans to appeal.
Mark Lanier, an attorney for the plaintiff, said no one was shocked by the ruling.
“The evidence of fault was mountain high,” Lanier said.
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