Meta and Google Appeal $9 Million Ruling Over 'Teen SNS Addiction'

Responsibility for Infinite Scrolling and Autoplay Features at Issue
Meta: "Mental Health Problems Cannot Be Attributed to Specific Apps"

The lawsuit in the United States over whether the social networking service (SNS) platforms of Meta and Google caused addiction among teenagers will move to the appeals court.

According to the Associated Press on July 10 (local time), Meta, along with Google, has filed an appeal against the first-instance ruling by the Los Angeles (LA) court in California, which ordered them to pay $6 million (approximately 900 million won) in damages to the plaintiff. Google has also announced its intention to appeal.

Previously, the jury accepted the claim of a female plaintiff in her 20s and determined that Meta and Google must pay $3 million in compensatory damages and $3 million in punitive damages. The court also rejected both companies' motions for a retrial.

The core issue in this lawsuit was not the content posted by users, but rather the platform features themselves—such as infinite scrolling and autoplay—applied to Instagram and YouTube.

Meta and Google defended themselves by citing Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (CDA), which limits platform liability for user-generated content. However, the plaintiff argued that these features encouraged excessive use by teenagers, leading to a victory in court.

Meta maintains that it is difficult to directly link specific SNS platforms to youth mental health issues, given their complex nature. A Meta spokesperson stated, "We are confident in our track record of protecting teenagers online."

The industry is paying close attention to this case because it is seen as a 'leading trial' that could impact thousands of similar cases. If Meta and Google lose the appeal, there is a possibility that similar judgments will follow in other lawsuits regarding the harmful effects of SNS platforms.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.