Google and Meta denied new trial in youth social media addiction case

A California state court judge has rejected bids by Meta and Alphabet's YouTube for a new trial after a jury held them liable for youth social media addiction. The judge ruled that the platforms are not shielded by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act because the lawsuit targets their attention-grabbing design choices rather than third-party content. The decision upholds a prior jury verdict finding both companies negligent and ordering them to pay $6 million in damages to a plaintiff who alleged addiction at a young age.