LOS ANGELES — A jury found Meta and YouTube negligent in the design or operation of their social media platforms, producing a bellwether verdict in the first lawsuit to take tech giants to trial for social media addiction.

The jury stated that Meta's and YouTube's negligence were a substantial factor in causing harm to the plaintiff, identified in court by her initials, K.G.M., and that the companies failed to adequately warn users of the dangers of Instagram (Meta's platform) and YouTube (which is owned by Google).

They awarded K.G.M. $3 million in compensatory damages, finding Meta 70% responsible for harm caused to the now 20-year-old plaintiff, and YouTube responsible for 30%.

Jury finds Meta and YouTube negligent in landmark lawsuit on social media safety

A verdict has been reached in the landmark civil trial that accused social media giants of profiting from products designed to be dangerously addictive to children.

^{Shanshan Dong (NBC News)}