Verdict In Landmark Social Media Addiction Trial Holding Meta and YouTube Liable for Intentionally Harming Kids
For Immediate Release: March 25, 2026
Contact: media@fwdshift.com
UltraViolet Action Lauds Verdict In Landmark Social Media Addiction Trial Holding Meta and YouTube Liable for Intentionally Harming Kids
UltraViolet Action, a leading national women-led gender-justice organization that works to hold the tech and corporate sectors accountable, released the following statement after a California jury this morning found major tech companies Meta and YouTube liable for deliberately designing their platforms to addict kids and keep them scrolling.
“We are finally—after so much fighting and unfathomable grief—cracking Big Tech’s carefully constructed defenses wide open,” stated Jenna Sherman, Campaign Director at UltraViolet Action. “This verdict isn’t just a significant material victory for the plaintiff and the thousands, if not millions, of impacted people she represents, but a watershed victory for the tech safety movement. We are just getting started, and will not stop until every tech company that prioritizes profit over people is held accountable, and until no woman or child has to fear for their safety when using online platforms.”
The plaintiff in the case—a now 20-year-old woman from California who claimed that daily use of social media platforms Instagram and YouTube since age six exacerbated her mental health issues—was awarded $3 million in damages (social media companies Snap and TikTok were also sued but settled the case before trial). The momentous verdict came only a day after a jury in New Mexico found Meta liable for failing to protect children from sexual predators and violating state consumer protection laws.
“For the past 10 years, and particularly the last five, we have been in a dark era of Big Tech omnipotence over our political leaders and society. We emerge from that shadow today,” continued Sherman. “The grip of the tech billionaire class has been significantly weakened, and it was women and parents who led the effort to push back. This case demonstrated what we knew: if we allow a jury of everyday people to view the facts—the intentional harm driven by Big Tech CEOs like Mark Zuckerberg is crystal clear.”
UltraViolet Action has been at the forefront of the fight to hold tech and social media companies accountable for the harm they inflict on women, kids, and gender-expansive people. The organization has led campaigns calling on Meta to reverse hate speech rollbacks, demanding that TikTok remove ads promoting the use of GPS trackers for stalking, advocating for Google to ban websites and tools that enable AI-based sexual abuse, and pressuring TikTok to improve hate speech policies for LGBTQ+ people, all while fighting to ensure that these tech platforms are safe and welcoming for the most marginalized among us.
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UltraViolet ActionFund is a women-led gender justice 501c4 organization, with an online community of hundreds of thousands of members nationwide. We combine organizing, technology, creative campaigning, and people power to win real-world changes for women and gender-expansive people.
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