Meta and YouTube found liable in social media addiction trial
Meta 與 YouTube 在社群媒體成癮訴訟中被判負有責任
In a landmark March 2026 verdict, a Los Angeles jury found Meta and YouTube liable for contributing to the social media addiction and mental health struggles of a young user.
在2026年3月的一項里程碑式判決中，洛杉磯陪審團裁定Meta和YouTube必須為導致一名年輕用戶的社群媒體成癮及心理健康困擾承擔責任。
The plaintiff, known as Kaley, argued that features like infinite scroll and autoplay were intentionally designed to be addictive, damaging her mental well-being since childhood.
原告凱莉（Kaley）主張，諸如無限捲動（ㄨˊㄒㄧㄢˋㄐㄩㄢˇㄉㄨㄥˋ）和自動播放等功能，是被刻意設計為具有成癮性的，這從她孩提時代起就損害了她的心理健康。
Crucially, the case focused on product design rather than user content, allowing the legal team to bypass protections under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.
關鍵在於，本案聚焦於產品設計而非用戶內容，使法律團隊得以繞過《通訊規範法》第230條的保護。
The jury awarded $6 million in damages, assigning 70% of the blame to Meta and 30% to YouTube.
陪審團裁定賠償600萬美元，並將責任分配為Meta佔70%，YouTube佔30%。
This "bellwether" trial, often compared to 1990s tobacco litigation, sets a significant legal precedent for thousands of pending lawsuits.
這場「風向標（ㄈㄥㄒㄧㄤㄅㄧㄠ）」（bellwether）審判常被拿來與1990年代的菸草訴訟相提並論，為數千起未決訴訟樹立了重要的法律先例。
While both tech giants plan to appeal, claiming teen mental health is too complex to blame on specific apps, the verdict signals a shift in how society holds Big Tech accountable for its design choices.
儘管兩家科技巨頭計畫上訴，聲稱青少年心理健康問題過於複雜，無法歸咎於特定應用程式，但該判決標誌著社會在要求科技巨頭為其設計選擇負責的方式上發生了轉變。
