Meta and Google ordered to pay nearly $3m in landmark US case over youth social media addiction

A US court has ruled that Meta and Google must pay nearly 20 million Danish kroner (approx. $2.9m) in damages after a 20-year-old woman and her mother successfully sued the tech giants for knowingly designing addictive platforms that harmed the woman’s mental health as a child, DR reports.

The case, decided late Tuesday in Los Angeles, marks the first time a US court has explicitly acknowledged that the companies’ algorithms and engagement tactics create dependency in young users, according to Miriam Michaelsen, chair of Denmark’s Media Council for Children and Young People.

“This ruling clearly states: Yes, these platforms use addiction-creating elements, and they do so with full awareness,” Michaelsen told public broadcaster DR. “They know exactly what they’re doing, and it’s crucial that this message spreads.”

Internal documents and whistleblower testimony presented during the trial revealed that Meta and Google were aware their platforms’ “infinite scroll” and algorithm-driven content had “violent negative consequences” for young users’ mental health, Michaelsen said. The companies had previously faced criticism for prioritising profit over child protection, but the case now sets a legal precedent.

“This decision shows profit comes before child safety in the eyes of these tech giants,” Michaelsen added. “Hopefully, they’ll now be forced to change.”

The ruling follows a separate case in New Mexico this week, where a jury found Meta liable for violating consumer protection laws by misleading users about platform safety and enabling child sexual exploitation. The company was ordered to pay 2.4 billion kroner ($340m) in civil penalties, though Meta has announced plans to appeal.

In Denmark, a class-action lawsuit against Meta—backed by NGOs including Digital Responsibility (Digitalt Ansvar) and psychology clinic Dabeco—is in preparation. Organisers have crowdfunded 2.75 million kroner ($390,000) from parents to launch the case, alleging Meta has “systematically failed” Danish children. Similar age-restriction measures, like Australia’s December 2025 ban on social media for under-16s, are under discussion in several European countries.

Michaelsen urged parents to limit children’s access to the platforms, calling it “a duty, not a choice,” and predicted more lawsuits would follow. “If users start voting with their feet and leaving these platforms, the companies will have no choice but to reform,” she said.