LOS ANGELES — A Los Angeles jury found Meta and YouTube negligent in designing addictive features that harmed the mental health of a California woman and awarded 20-year-old Kaley G.M. from Chico, California, $6 million in damages.

The jury determined that Meta was 70% responsible for the harms suffered by Kaley G.M. and that YouTube was 30% responsible. Both companies announced plans to appeal the verdict.

Kaley G.M. filed the lawsuit in 2023, alleging that using social media at a young age led to mental health problems including body dysmorphia and depression. She also sued TikTok and Santa Monica-based Snap, and those companies settled their claims before the trial.

The trial began in February 2026 and lasted seven weeks. Mark Zuckerberg testified in the civil trial on February 18, 2026, over claims that social media makes children addicted.

"This case misunderstands YouTube, which is a responsibly built streaming platform, not a social media site," said Jose Castañeda, a Google spokesman. Google, which owns YouTube, said it disagreed with the ruling and plans to appeal.

"Teen mental health is profoundly complex and cannot be linked to a single app. We will continue to defend ourselves vigorously as every case is different, and we remain confident in our record of protecting teens online," said Andy Stone, a Meta spokesman.

The verdict follows another recent case in which a New Mexico jury found Meta liable for $375 million in damages after Attorney General Raúl Torrez alleged the platform's features enabled predators and pedophiles to exploit children. "Neither Meta nor YouTube is going to do anything different until a court orders them to, or there's a drop in user or advertiser use," said Max Willens, Principal Analyst at eMarketer.

Tech companies have introduced new parental controls to help parents monitor their children's screen time and have moderated harmful content in response to mental health concerns. Instagram and YouTube offer versions of their apps aimed at young people.

A majority of U.S. teens use YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat, according to a 2025 Pew Research Center survey. More than 3.5 billion people use at least one of Meta's products, including Instagram and Facebook.

On Thursday, Meta's stock fell more than 7% to $549 per share. Alphabet's share price dropped more than 2% to roughly $280.