Meta and Google face massive fines in a court ruling that has ruled they pose dangers for children and teenagers.
Meta could be liable for $4,2-million in damages, and Google for $1,8-million.
The so-called bellwether case was brought by a young woman who was a minor when the case began.
Known as KGM, or her first name Kaley, she had accused social media companies of creating addictive products that could lead to anxiety and depression.
She testified that the attention-grabbing design made her addicted to YouTube and Instagram at a young age. This was upheld by the jury, which found Google and Meta were negligent in their design and failed to warn about their dangers.
Meetali Jain, director and founder of Tech Justice Law (TJL), comments: “Today’s decision in the CA JCCP Bellwether Case makes it clear once again that Americans can plainly see that tech corporations are making specific design choices about their tech products that are harming our communities to benefit their bottom line.
“Profits will continue to be prioritised over human lives and wellbeing until Big Tech faces real accountability.
“Regardless of the specific tech product, it is these choices and their resulting impacts that tech corporations must be held accountable for.”