A verdict has been delivered by the jury that was hearing the case against Instagram and YouTube, brought forward by a young woman named Kaley. They have ruled in favour of the claimant, arguing that the owners have been negligent in the safeguarding of children by purposely engineering their apps to be addictive and damaging. This verdict is ground breaking and could result in both companies in this case (Meta and Google), paying $6m or £4.5m in compensation.
Both companies do intend to appeal which could lead to the verdict being quashed. If this is the case it is possible that neither company will be found liable and neither company will be obligated to compensate. Whilst this would be disappointing, as they won’t be held to account, it will not dismiss the precedent which this case has set. Opening up the conversation around the irreversible damage that these apps are creating means awareness is being raised and mitigation of the risks is being encouraged. However, if the appeals are successful, the verdicts may work in the opposite way. The claimant in this case argued that the platforms left her with body dysmorphia, depression and suicidal thoughts but Meta maintains that a single app cannot cause all these issues. If this is supported, after appeal, it could shut down all further discussions of these problems. Conversations around the legality of using social media under the age of 16 in the UK may be dismissed and concerns around social media abuse could begin to be ignored. Ultimately, the consequences of this case depend heavily on the outcomes of the appeals.
Going forward, we should all remain conscious of safe social media practices and try to limit time spent on apps, particularly if we feel like it could be affecting our mental wellbeing. Although it can be tricky and often feels confusing to navigate in a world full of people ‘chronically online’, there is support that everyone can access.
The charity Young Minds, has a useful website which includes information and support on social media and mental health damage which you can find via their website www.youngminds.org