Court orders Meta and Google to pay $6 million to Kaley
Technology
In a ruling based on a novel legal argument, Meta and Google have been ordered to pay $6 million to Kaley, a 20-year-old who says years of heavy Instagram and YouTube use led to body image issues and self-harm thoughts.
She started using social media at age six and spent hours on them daily, much more than the average American child who uses Instagram's 30 minutes a day.
Case may prompt social media rules
While $6 million is small change for tech giants, the legal strategy used here could open new doors for regulating social media's impact on mental health.
Both companies plan to appeal, but the case highlights growing worries about how endless scrolling can affect young users.