In a significant legal win, families of social media victims gathered on Wednesday to express their relief and determination following a landmark ruling. The verdict concluded that platforms designed by Meta and Google are inherently addictive. Despite their victory, the families emphasized that their fight for justice and safety is far from over.
Outside the courthouse, emotional parents held up cherished photos of their children, many of whom were victims of the harmful features and inadequate safeguards on these platforms. While not directly involved in the lawsuit, these families stood united in their cause.
Juliana Arnold, whose 17-year-old daughter Coco tragically passed away in 2022 due to fentanyl poisoning after attempting to purchase Percocet via social media, voiced her frustration. “This battle isn’t finished—we understand it’s a long-term effort,” she stated. “We’re done with hearings and loopholes. It’s time for lawmakers to stop shielding Big Tech and start protecting American families.”
The families represent a broader national community affected by social media-related tragedies, including sextortion scams, perilous viral challenges, and predatory behaviors. Most of the young victims are aged between 12 and 15.
Victoria Hinks, another advocate, expressed her sentiments: “This outcome is a victory and validates our struggles, but it’s crucial that it leads to tangible legislation.”
“This is a victory, and we all feel vindicated,” said Victoria Hinks. “But it has to be coupled with legislation.”
Hinks’ beautiful 16-year-old daughter, Alexandra, known as Owl, took her own life in August 2024, after being fed a diet of heavily-filtered “beauty” content that warped her perception of reality.
“The platforms have to have a duty of care,” Hinks said.
“They need transparency and reporting like every other industry. No more denying they know what they’re doing. They will stop at nothing.”
The mom of a 15-year-old New York boy who shot himself after being targeted in a Facebook “sextortion” scam said she hopes that every American “giving their kid a device is paying attention.”
She also issued a plea to the president.
“I really would like Congress to act. I would really like the president to not appoint Zuckerberg to some friggin’ tech committee,” Mary Rodee told the California Post.
President Trump on Wednesday tapped Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to serve on the White House science and technology panel, the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST).
Rodee’s son, Riley Basford, killed himself in 2021 as he was being blackmailed over “personal” photos that he had sent on social media, the family said.
Rodee offered her support to other grieving families.
“I am really wanting to rally the parents of harmed children and the parents who are living with this right now — to just show I wasn’t crazy for five years, that I knew they did this to my kid, and they’re doing it to your kid too,” she said.
“And we don’t have to take this and we’re here for you,” she added.
The brave parents called out Big Tech for lumping the blame on them.
“Stop blaming the parents. It’s on you. And this is what today shows,” Hinks said of the bombshell verdict.
The Los Angeles jury found that Meta and Google — two of the world’s most powerful tech companies — were responsible for causing depression and anxiety in a young woman who became compulsively addicted to their platforms, Instagram and YouTube.
The tech giants were found liable for $3 million in compensatory damages for the harm caused. The jury also awarded $3 million in punitive damages.
Rodee believed the damages were “substantial enough” to prove to the average American that “the negligence is clear” — but worried it was not enough to force the social media giants to “not enough for them to “self-regulate.”
“I do want them to have to pay an amount that makes them feel a pinch to do better,” she told The Post.
“So I think it was low in that respect — that it’s not enough to make them change their behaviors.”
The attorney representing the plaintiff in the first-of-its-kind case, known only by her first name Kaley, called the decision a “landmark moment” that will “reverberate.”
“I’ll tell you this: If the jury had returned ‘no,’ the champagne corks would be popping in the boardrooms of Google and Meta,” said Kaley’s lawyer, Mark Lanier, a Texas trial attorney and part-time pastor.
Kaley — who is now 20 but started using social media at age 6 — argued the platforms were intentionally designed to hook kids through features like infinite scroll and autoplay.
She described how the apps’ notifications for new likes and comments gave her a “rush” that she wanted to continually chase.
“I wanted to be on it all the time,” she told the jury, according to the Wall Street Journal. “If I wasn’t on it, I felt like I was going to miss out on something.”
Hinks blasted the tech giants as “predators.”
“We now know they were manipulating our children for profit while we were trying to keep our families safe,” she said.
“They are the predators. No more looking away.”
The high-profile verdict could now shape thousands of similar lawsuits filed by parents, states, and school districts against major tech companies.
A spokesperson for Meta said the company “respectfully disagrees” with the court’s decision and plans to appeal.
“Teen mental health is profoundly complex and cannot be attributed to a single app. We will continue to defend ourselves vigorously, as every case is different,” spokesperson Ashley Nikkole Davis said. “We remain confident in our record of protecting teens online.”
Google also indicated that it would appeal.
“We disagree with the verdict and plan to appeal. This case misunderstands YouTube, which is a responsibly built streaming platform, not a social media site,” Google spokesperson José Castañeda said in a statement.
