YouTube has filed a notice of appeal in Los Angeles Superior Court, challenging a jury's verdict in a landmark social media addiction lawsuit. The tech company, owned by Google, seeks to overturn the jury's determination that its platform was designed to addict young users without regard for their well-being. This move follows a similar appeal filed by Meta, another defendant in the case, last week.
The lawsuit centered on a 20-year-old woman, identified in court documents by her initials KGM and first name Kaley, who alleged that her childhood social media use exacerbated her mental health struggles. The jury found both YouTube and Meta negligent and that this negligence was a significant factor in causing harm to the plaintiff. The jury awarded her $3 million in damages and recommended an additional $3 million in punitive damages.
José Castañeda, a spokesperson for Google, stated that YouTube plans to appeal, describing the filing as a "standard motion for this case to move forward." Both Meta and Google had previously filed post-trial motions for a new trial, which were denied by the trial judge, Carolyn B. Kuhl, in early June.
During the five-week trial, YouTube's defense included the argument that its platform, which facilitates video sharing and streaming, is not a social media platform. Lawyers for both companies also raised questions regarding legal protections for tech companies under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which shields them from liability for third-party content. The plaintiff's legal team, led by attorney Mark Lanier, focused on design features like autoplay, arguing these elements encouraged prolonged and unintentional platform use.
Kaley's case is considered a first-of-its-kind lawsuit, and its verdict could influence thousands of similar cases against social media companies. TikTok and Snap Inc., the parent company of Snapchat, were also initially defendants but settled for undisclosed amounts before the trial began. Lawyers for the plaintiff anticipate that the appellate court will uphold the trial court's verdict.