Published
March 22, 2026
Updated
July 17, 2026
The first social media addiction verdict is holding up in court — here is what the ruling means for the thousands of families and school districts still suing Meta, YouTube, TikTok and Snap.
See If You Qualify for a Social Media Addiction Claim
July 2026 Update: Meta and YouTube Both Appeal
In early July 2026, Meta filed a notice of appeal of the $6 million K.G.M. verdict, according to the Associated Press. The notice was filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court — the trial court — and moves the case toward the California Court of Appeal for the Second Appellate District. In a statement, Meta reiterated that teen mental health is "profoundly complex and cannot be linked to a single app" and said it would "continue to defend ourselves vigorously." On July 13, 2026, YouTube (Google) followed with its own notice of appeal — less than a week after Meta's — again arguing that YouTube "isn't a social media platform," according to Associated Press reporting. Both defendants are now appealing the verdict. An appeal does not undo the verdict — it asks a higher court to review it — and the process can take many months to resolve.June 2026 Update: Judge Denies Meta and YouTube's Request for a New Trial
On June 10, 2026, a California state court judge denied Meta and YouTube's post-trial motions seeking a new trial after the landmark $6 million social media addiction verdict.Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Carolyn Kuhl rejected the companies' argument that Section 230 shields them from liability, finding that the case was based on platform design features, not user-generated content. "There was substantial evidence that Plaintiff was harmed by the design features of Instagram, regardless of any content," Judge Kuhl wrote in the order. The jury had been instructed not to base its decision on the content users saw, but instead on features such as infinite scroll, autoplay, recommendations, notifications, and other design choices alleged to encourage compulsive use.
The ruling means the March 25, 2026 verdict remains in place for now. Meta and Google both said they disagreed with the ruling and would appeal — and, as noted above, Meta filed its notice of appeal in early July 2026, followed by YouTube (Google) on July 13, 2026. Meta said the plaintiffs' "legal theory attempts to improperly circumvent Section 230 and the First Amendment, and we expect this ruling to be overturned on appeal." Google spokesman José Castañeda said the company plans to appeal and continues to maintain the lawsuit is unsound. Plaintiff's attorney Mark Lanier, who called the evidence of fault "mountain high" after the verdict, described the ruling as another victory for families. Appeals would go first to California's appellate courts and could take many months to resolve.
For plaintiffs in the broader social media addiction litigation, the denial of a new trial is important because it shows the first plaintiff verdict survived the companies' first major post-trial challenge. However, this is still not a class action settlement. There is still no public claim form, no global settlement fund, and no guaranteed payout process for consumers.
Status
Verdict Stands — On Appeal
New trial denied June 10, 2026 · Meta filed its notice of appeal in early July 2026; YouTube (Google) followed on July 13, 2026 — both are appealing
Verdict
$6 million
$3M compensatory + $3M punitive · Meta 70% / YouTube 30% · March 25, 2026
Can I Claim?
No — not a class action settlement
no claim form, no settlement fund · individual lawsuits still being accepted
April 2026 Update — Verdict Reached, Both Companies Appealing
On March 25, 2026, after more than 40 hours of deliberation, a Los Angeles jury found Meta and YouTube liable in the first-ever social media addiction bellwether trial. The jury awarded the plaintiff $6 million in damages — $3 million in compensatory damages and $3 million in punitive damages. Meta is responsible for 70% of the award and YouTube is responsible for the remaining 30%. The plaintiff's lawyers had asked for $1 billion in punitive damages.The jury found that the companies acted with "malice, oppression, or fraud" — not just negligence — in designing features like infinite scrolling, autoplay, algorithmic recommendations, and notification systems that the jury concluded were built to maximize engagement at the expense of users' mental health.
Both Meta and Google have stated they will appeal. Meta said, "We respectfully disagree with the verdict and will appeal." Google said it plans to appeal and that the verdict misrepresents YouTube, which Google describes as "a responsibly built streaming platform, not a social media site."
What is next: The first federal school-district bellwether, brought by Breathitt County, Kentucky, settled on May 21, 2026 — on the eve of its June trial date — for a combined $27 million. Court records reported by Reuters show Meta paid $9 million, Snap and TikTok about $8 million each, and YouTube about $2.01 million, with no admission of liability and no agreed platform reforms. Meta said it resolved the case "amicably" and pointed to safety features like Teen Accounts; plaintiffs' lawyers say they will keep pressing the remaining school-district cases toward trial. With Breathitt resolved, the June 2026 federal trial date is off the calendar; the next school-district bellwether, brought by Tucson Unified School District — whose lawyers are seeking more than $1.1 billion plus platform reforms — is tentatively set for January 2027 in the Northern District of California before Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers. MDL 3047 still has approximately 2,465 pending personal injury cases, plus nearly 800 school district claims and lawsuits from attorneys general in 41+ states. Legal analysts expect the K.G.M. verdict — now reinforced by the denial of a new trial — to accelerate new filings and increase pressure on Meta, Google, TikTok, and Snap to negotiate broader resolutions.
What Happened in March (Original Coverage)
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 had to first determine that one or both companies were liable. Five days later, on March 25, the jury delivered the $6 million verdict described above.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.
With the March 25 plaintiff verdict — and now the June 10 denial of a new trial — that strengthening effect is playing out in real time. The 2,465+ MDL personal injury cases, the 800 school district claims, and the AG actions across 41+ states all gain leverage from a jury finding that Meta and YouTube acted with malice, oppression, or fraud, and from a trial judge's ruling that Section 230 does not shield platform design features. Legal analysts have told CBS News this verdict could "open the floodgates" of further litigation.
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. The K.G.M. verdict is an individual jury award inside a mass tort, not a class action settlement. There is still no claim form, no settlement fund, no payout amount, and no deadline to file. Each plaintiff's case is evaluated separately based on their individual circumstances and evidence.With the March 25 plaintiff verdict surviving the companies' new-trial motions, a global settlement covering broader categories of claimants is more plausible than it was before — but as of June 2026, no such settlement or claims process exists. If one is established later, OpenClassActions will update this page.
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. Answer a few simple questions to see if you may qualify for a claim. 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. One day before the K.G.M. verdict, on March 24, 2026, a New Mexico jury ordered Meta to pay $375 million for violating consumer protection laws and failing to protect children from sexual predators on Facebook and Instagram. That case has now moved into a second-phase bench trial, which began in early May 2026 before Judge Bryan Biedscheid, where the active question is what changes Meta must make to its platforms. New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez is pursuing a public-nuisance theory, seeking roughly $3.7 billion to fund youth mental-health treatment along with court-ordered reforms such as age verification, algorithm changes that promote quality content for minors, an end to autoplay and infinite scrolling for minors, and an independent monitor. Meta has argued the proposed remedies are "impossible" to comply with — and has even warned it could withdraw Facebook and Instagram from New Mexico if ordered to build state-specific systems, with a spokesperson adding that the state's mandates "infringe on parental rights and stifle free expression."Together with the K.G.M. verdict, the MDL 3047 docket, the school district claims, and active lawsuits from attorneys general in 41+ states, the legal pressure on social media companies from both private plaintiffs and government entities remains at an all-time high heading into the Tucson Unified bellwether, tentatively set for January 2027.
Key Facts at a Glance
Case: KGM v. Meta Platforms, Inc. & YouTube LLC
Court: Los Angeles Superior Court (JCCP 5255)
Case Number: 23SMCV03371 (Dept. 12, Judge Carolyn Kuhl)
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
Verdict Date: March 25, 2026
Verdict: Liability found against both Meta and YouTube
Damages: $6,000,000 total — $3M compensatory + $3M punitive
Allocation: Meta 70% / YouTube 30%
Post-Trial Motions: New trial denied June 10, 2026 (Judge Carolyn Kuhl)
Appeal: Meta filed its notice of appeal in early July 2026 (heading to the California Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District)
Appeal Status: Meta filed its notice of appeal in early July 2026; YouTube (Google) filed its own notice of appeal July 13, 2026 — both are appealing
Related Cases Pending (MDL 3047): ~2,465 individual personal injury cases + ~800 school district claims (N.D. Cal., Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers)
First School-District Bellwether: Breathitt County, KY — settled May 21, 2026 for $27 million combined (Meta $9M, Snap ~$8M, TikTok ~$8M, YouTube ~$2.01M)
Next Federal Bellwether Trial: Tucson Unified School District — tentatively January 2027 (seeking $1.1B+ plus platform reforms)
New Mexico v. Meta: $375M verdict (March 24, 2026) — second-phase bench trial underway; state seeking ~$3.7B and injunctive reforms
Claim Form Available: No — this is not a class action settlement
Free settlement alerts
Get notified when new class actions open to claims
Join thousands of readers who get the latest class action settlements you may qualify for — delivered straight to your inbox.
Sources
• Reuters — Google and Meta Denied New Trial in Youth Social Media Addiction Case (June 10, 2026)• Associated Press (via Las Vegas Sun) — Meta Appeals Landmark Jury Verdict That Found It to Blame (July 10, 2026)
• Associated Press (via U.S. News) — YouTube Joins Meta in Appealing the Social Media Addiction Verdict (July 15, 2026)
• Reuters — Social Media Companies to Pay $27 Million to Settle Kentucky School District's Lawsuit (May 29, 2026)
• Courthouse News — Meta Settles Bellwether Suit Over Harms of Social Media to School Districts
• Reuters — New Mexico Lays Out Options to Force Changes at Meta After Court Win (March 26, 2026)
• NPR — Jury Finds Meta and Google Negligent in Social Media Harms Trial (March 25, 2026)
• CBS News — Meta and YouTube Found Liable on All Charges in Landmark Social Media Addiction Trial (March 25, 2026)
• NBC News — Jury Finds Meta and YouTube Negligent in Landmark Lawsuit on Social Media Safety (March 25, 2026)
• ABC7 — LA Social Media Addiction Trial: Jury Finds Meta and YouTube Liable, Awards $6 Million in Damages (March 2026)
• Fox Business — Jury Finds Meta, Google Liable in Landmark Social Media Addiction Trial, Awards More Than $6M in Damages (March 2026)
• Wikipedia — K.G.M. v. Meta et al. Case Summary
• EPIC — Jury Finds Meta and Google Negligent in Landmark Social Media Addiction Case
• FOX 11 Los Angeles — Jury Finds Instagram and YouTube Liable in Landmark Social Media Addiction Trial
About This Article
This article was originally published on March 22, 2026 covering the closing days of jury deliberations in K.G.M. v. Meta and YouTube. It was updated on April 23, 2026 to reflect the March 25 verdict ($6 million for the plaintiff, with both companies appealing), and again on June 11, 2026 to reflect the June 10 denial of Meta and YouTube's new-trial motions, the $27 million Breathitt County school-district settlement, the revised MDL 3047 bellwether schedule, and the New Mexico remedy phase. It was updated on July 14, 2026 to reflect Meta's early-July 2026 notice of appeal, and again on July 17, 2026 to reflect YouTube's (Google's) July 13, 2026 notice of appeal, confirming that both defendants are now appealing. Reporting is drawn from the Associated Press, Reuters, Courthouse News, NPR, CBS News, NBC News, ABC7, Fox Business, FOX 11 Los Angeles, EPIC, and other published sources. OpenClassActions.com is a consumer advocacy and class action news site, and is not a class action administrator or a law firm.
For more class actions keep scrolling below.
Status
Verdict stands — new trial denied June 10, 2026; Meta appealed early July 2026, YouTube (Google) appealed July 13, 2026
Case Title
K.G.M. v. Meta Platforms, Inc. & YouTube LLC
Case Number
23SMCV03371 · JCCP 5255
Court
Los Angeles Superior Court
Verdict
March 25, 2026 — $6 million
