Meta and YouTube lost in a landmark trial. Is this just the tip of the iceberg?

Meta和YouTube在一项具有里程碑意义的审判中败诉。这仅仅是冰山一角吗?

The Global Story

2026-03-27

27 分钟
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In a bellwether case, a jury in Los Angeles found on Wednesday that Meta and YouTube are responsible for a young woman’s childhood addiction to social media, and intentionally built addictive platforms that harmed her health. The companies say they intend to appeal against the verdict, which could set a legal precedent and have far-reaching consequences. Marianna Spring, the BBC’s social media investigations correspondent, has spent the past year speaking to whistleblowers and insiders from social media companies, revealing how algorithms designed to connect people have been helping to tear them apart. We ask if this week’s verdict is just the start of something much bigger. Apply for Castfest tickets: https://www.bbc.co.uk/showsandtours/shows/castfest-2026 Producers: Valerio Esposito and Cat Farnsworth Executive producer: James Shield Mix: Travis Evans Senior news editor: China Collins Photo: Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg leaves court in Los Angeles, February 18, 2026. Credit: Mike Blake/Reuters.
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  • A jury in Los Angeles has said that Meta and YouTube are responsible

  • for a young woman's childhood addiction to social media.

  • Kayleigh, the plaintiff, has been awarded $6 million in damages.

  • It 's a small payout compared to the sheer billions these tech giants make,

  • but it could open the floodgates to hundreds of other cases making their way through the courts.

  • Now, at the heart of this is the question of whether these companies are intentionally

  • building these apps to be addictive.