Big Tech’s Big Tobacco moment has arrived

A Los Angeles jury ruled that Instagram and YouTube have addictive design defects, awarding $6 million total in damages against Meta (70% liable) and Google (30% liable). The landmark case, brought by a woman known as KGM who began using the platforms as a child, argued that deliberate design choices like infinite scroll exploited behavioral psychology to maximize youth engagement. The verdict limits Section 230 protections by distinguishing platform design from content, and is expected to trigger thousands of similar cases globally. Meta also suffered a separate $375 million penalty in New Mexico for concealing child exploitation risks. Both companies plan to appeal.