The appeal, filed Monday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, follows Meta’s own appeal filed less than a week earlier.
For anyone researching mental health treatment options for a young person, the case is a reminder that the platforms shaping daily life are now facing legal scrutiny for their design choices, not just their content.
What the Jury Found
A Los Angeles jury determined that both YouTube, owned by Google, and Meta were negligent in how they built and operated their platforms, and that this negligence was a substantial factor in harming a woman identified in court records as Kaley.
She said she became addicted to social media as a child and that the addiction worsened her mental health struggles as she grew older.
Jurors awarded $3 million in compensatory damages, with Meta assigned 70 percent of the responsibility and YouTube the remaining 30 percent.
In a second phase of the trial, jurors added another $3 million in punitive damages after finding both companies acted with malice, oppression, or fraud.
Trial Judge Carolyn B. Kuhl denied post-trial motions from both companies seeking a new trial in early June, which set the stage for the current appeals.
Company Responses and Legal Arguments
A Google spokesperson stated the case misunderstands YouTube, arguing the platform is a streaming service rather than a social media site.
A Meta spokesperson noted teen mental health is complex, and clinicians can’t attribute it to a single app. Both companies indicated they plan to pursue their legal options fully as the appeal moves forward.
Attorneys for the plaintiff said they expect the appellate court to uphold the trial court’s findings. The case remains a pioneering trial that reached a jury verdict on the question of whether social media platforms can be held legally responsible for designing products that foster compulsive use in young people.
Why This Matters for Mental Health Treatment
Cases like this one highlight a growing recognition that compulsive technology use can contribute to real psychological harm, particularly for children and teens whose brains are still developing.
While behavioral addictions like this are treated differently than substance use disorders, both can involve similar reward-pathway mechanisms and often require professional mental health treatment to address underlying anxiety, depression, or compulsive behavior patterns.
For families noticing signs of problematic social media use in a teen, such as withdrawal from in-person relationships, disrupted sleep, or distress when access is limited, early evaluation by a mental health professional can help determine whether treatment is warranted and what type of care might help.
What This Means for Treatment Seekers
Parents and young adults navigating these concerns should know that behavioral health treatment for compulsive technology use is a growing specialty area within mental health care.
Programs that address co-occurring anxiety, depression, or other conditions alongside behavioral addiction patterns tend to produce the most complete outcomes.
This case may also influence how platforms design safety features going forward, but treatment access today does not depend on the outcome of any appeal.
Exploring Treatment Options
Families concerned about a teen’s relationship with social media or technology do not need to wait for a legal outcome to seek support. Next steps can include:
Comparing mental health treatment providers who specialize in adolescent behavioral health and technology-related compulsive use.
Understanding insurance coverage for mental health treatment, since many plans cover evaluation and therapy for behavioral addictions under mental health parity laws.
Exploring evidence-based therapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy, which has shown effectiveness for compulsive technology use and co-occurring anxiety or depression.
Verifying facility credentials and confirming that a provider has specific experience treating adolescents and young adults.
Rehab.com’s directory includes verified treatment centers with programs addressing behavioral health and co-occurring conditions. Call
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