Has the jury reached a verdict in the social media addiction trial?

As of March 22, 2026, no final verdict has been announced. However, on March 20, jurors sent the judge a question about how to calculate compensatory damages and punitive conduct, which strongly suggests the jury has found liability against Meta, YouTube, or both and is now determining how much to award in damages. Deliberations are expected to resume the following week.

Is there a social media addiction settlement I can file a claim for?

No. This is an individual trial, not a class action settlement. There is currently no claim form, no settlement payout available, and no deadline to file. However, this case is a bellwether for over 10,000 similar lawsuits and nearly 800 school district claims pending nationwide. If the plaintiff wins, it could lead to settlements in the broader litigation.

Can I still sue social media companies for my child's addiction?

Possibly. Law firms are still investigating and accepting cases involving social media addiction and mental health harm to minors and young adults. These cases typically involve documented mental health impacts such as depression, anxiety, eating disorders, self-harm, or suicidal ideation linked to extensive use of platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, or YouTube.

What happened with TikTok and Snapchat in this trial?

TikTok and Snapchat were originally named as defendants in this case but reached private, undisclosed settlements with the plaintiff before the trial began. They remain defendants in the broader consolidated litigation involving other plaintiffs. Meta and YouTube are the remaining defendants in this specific trial.

Social Media Addiction Trial Update: Jury Signals Liability Against Meta and YouTube, Now Weighing Damages

By Steve Levine

Social Media Addiction Trial Meta YouTube Verdict Update March 2026 Landmark Case Damages

Published: March 22, 2026

What Is Happening Right Now

The first-ever social media addiction trial to reach a jury is on the verge of a historic verdict — and the latest signals from the courtroom suggest Meta and YouTube are in serious trouble.

On March 20, 2026 — the sixth day of deliberations — jurors in Los Angeles sent Judge Carolyn Kuhl a question about how to fill out the verdict form for "compensatory damages and claim of punitive conduct." To reach that question, the jury would have had to first determine that one or both companies were liable. In other words, the jury appears to have already found that Meta and/or YouTube are responsible for harming the plaintiff, and they are now deciding how much to award.

No final verdict has been announced yet. Jurors were expected to resume deliberations the following week. A decision could come at any time.

What Is This Trial About?

The case is KGM v. Meta Platforms, Inc. & YouTube LLC, being tried in Los Angeles Superior Court. It is the first bellwether trial in a massive wave of litigation alleging that social media platforms were deliberately designed to be addictive to children and teenagers.

The plaintiff is a 20-year-old California woman identified in court filings as Kaley G.M. She alleges that she began using YouTube at age 6 and Instagram at age 9, and that the platforms' design features — including infinite scroll, autoplay, beauty filters, algorithmic recommendations, likes, and notifications — created compulsive use patterns that contributed to depression, anxiety, body dysmorphia, and suicidal ideation.

Her legal team, led by attorney Mark Lanier, argued during closing statements that Meta and YouTube "engineered addiction" to capture children's attention and generate advertising revenue. Lanier pointed to internal company documents that he said showed both companies understood the potentially addictive nature of their platforms.

Meta and YouTube denied all claims. Meta argued that the plaintiff faced significant personal challenges — including a difficult home environment — that predated and were separate from her social media use. YouTube argued that it is not a social media platform in the traditional sense and compared itself to television, emphasizing it does not have the same social validation features as Instagram.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified before the jury on February 18, 2026 — his first-ever jury testimony. Instagram head Adam Mosseri and YouTube VP of Engineering Cristos Goodrow also took the stand.

Why This Case Matters for Thousands of Lawsuits

This is not just one lawsuit. It is the first of approximately 1,600 individual cases filed against Meta, Google (YouTube), TikTok, and Snap that have been consolidated in California state court (JCCP 5255). A parallel federal consolidation, MDL 3047, is pending in the Northern District of California with over 10,000 individual cases and nearly 800 school district claims.

As a bellwether trial, the verdict in this case will heavily influence how the remaining cases proceed. If the jury awards significant damages, it could put enormous pressure on Meta, YouTube, and other social media companies to negotiate settlements across the entire litigation. Some legal analysts have compared this case to the landmark tobacco lawsuits of the 1990s in terms of potential industry-wide impact.

A plaintiff verdict could strengthen future lawsuits, increase settlement pressure on tech companies, accelerate new filings nationwide, and potentially force fundamental changes in how these platforms are designed for younger users.

A defense verdict would slow momentum but likely would not end the litigation entirely, given the volume of pending cases and the eight additional bellwether trials already planned, with the next scheduled for summer 2026.

What Happened with TikTok and Snapchat?

TikTok and Snapchat were originally named as defendants in this specific case but reached private, undisclosed settlements with the plaintiff before the trial began. The terms were not made public. Both companies remain defendants in the broader consolidated litigation involving other plaintiffs.

Is This a Class Action Settlement?

No. This is not a class action settlement. There is no claim form, no settlement fund, no payout amount, and no deadline to file. This is an individual trial within a mass tort litigation. Each plaintiff's case is evaluated separately based on their individual circumstances and evidence.

If the broader litigation eventually results in a global settlement — which a plaintiff verdict in this trial would make more likely — a claims process could be established at that point. But as of March 2026, nothing like that exists yet.

Can You Still File a Social Media Addiction Lawsuit?

Law firms across the country are still investigating and accepting cases related to social media addiction and mental health harm to minors and young adults. These cases generally focus on individuals who began using platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, or YouTube as children or teenagers and experienced documented mental health impacts such as depression, anxiety, eating disorders, self-harm, or suicidal ideation.

If you believe your child has been harmed by social media addiction, a consultation with an attorney who handles these cases can help determine whether your situation may qualify. OpenClassActions will update this page if new settlements, investigations, or claim processes open.

Other Legal Action Against Social Media Companies

This trial is not happening in isolation. The state of New Mexico has filed a separate case against Meta alleging the company misled users about risks to children and failed to implement adequate safety protections. Multiple other states have taken similar action. Together with the individual lawsuits and school district claims, the legal pressure on social media companies from both private plaintiffs and government entities is at an all-time high.

Key Facts at a Glance

Case: KGM v. Meta Platforms, Inc. & YouTube LLC
Court: Los Angeles Superior Court (JCCP 5255)
Plaintiff: Kaley G.M. (age 20)
Defendants: Meta Platforms (Instagram) and YouTube (Google)
Pre-Trial Settlements: TikTok and Snapchat settled privately (terms undisclosed)
Trial Start: February 10, 2026
Jury Deliberations Began: March 13, 2026
Latest Development: March 20, 2026 — jury sent question about calculating damages, signaling liability found
Verdict: Pending — expected any day
Related Cases Pending: 10,000+ individual cases, ~800 school district claims (MDL 3047, N.D. Cal.)
Next Bellwether Trial: Summer 2026
Claim Form Available: No — this is not a settlement

How Do I Find Class Action Settlements?

Find all the latest class actions you can qualify for by getting notified of new lawsuits as soon as they are open to claims:

Sources

• FOX 11 Los Angeles — Jury Deliberations Continue in Landmark Social Media Addiction Trial (March 2026)
• PBS NewsHour — Lawyers Deliver Closing Arguments in Social Media Addiction Trial (March 2026)
• NBC News — Lawyers Spar in Closing Arguments for Landmark Social Media Addiction Trial (March 2026)
• Courthouse News Service — Landmark Social Media Addiction Trial Heads to Jury (March 2026)
• Jamaica Observer / AFP — Jury Signals Tech Titans on Hook for Social Media Addiction (March 20, 2026)

About This Article

This article is based on reporting from FOX 11 Los Angeles, PBS NewsHour, NBC News, Courthouse News Service, AFP, and other published sources. This is a developing story and will be updated when a verdict is announced. OpenClassActions.com is a consumer advocacy and class action news site, and is not a class action administrator or a law firm.

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