Social media giants are liable for harming young users, according to two landmark court rulings in the United States this week that order Mega and YouTube to pay millions in damages.

On Wednesday, a Los Angeles jury found that Meta (parent company of Facebook and Instagram) and YouTube were liable for creating addictive products that had led to a young user developing depression and anxiety.

The court ordered Meta to pay $4.2 million and YouTube $1.8 million in compensation to the woman identified only as KGM, now aged 20.

KGM’s lawyers accused the companies of creating products as addictive as cigarettes and online gambling, using features like infinite scrolling and algorithm-based recommendations.

On Monday, a New Mexico jury found that Meta had misled its social media users into thinking its platforms were safe, yet sexual predators were able to contact and exploit children.

It ordered Meta to pay $375 million in damages for violating state consumer protection laws in the case, which was brought ​​by New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez.

“Meta executives knew their products harmed children, disregarded warnings from their own employees, and lied to the public about what they knew,” Torrez told The Guardian after the ruling.

A two-year Guardian investigation revealing how Facebook and Instagram had become “marketplaces for child sex trafficking” was cited several times in the complaint.

Big Soda, alcohol companies ‘flood’ social media

Meanwhile, soda and alcohol companies are flooding social media platforms with a “constant stream of content” that evades outdated advertising regulations, according to Vital Strategies, a global public health organisation.

The consumption of sugary drinks and alcohol is linked to several noncommunicable diseases, including diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease. 

By embedding their brands in “sports highlights, influencer content and viral moments” rather than traditional advertising, these industries are generating billions of impressions, according to Vital.

Using its digital media monitoring tool, Canary, Vital’s researchers tracked how Coca-Cola’s sponsorship of the FIFA World Cup and alcohol companies’ use of festivals, cultural events and celebrities in Brazil, Mexico, the Philippines, and South Africa “integrated brand promotion into people’s everyday online experiences”.

“Companies are using culture, entertainment and social media to make harmful products – like alcohol, tobacco and sugary drinks – seem normal and unavoidable,” said Sandra Mullin, senior vice president at Vital.

“This undermines critically important policies to reduce consumption, like curbing marketing to kids and taxing these products. Governments cannot rely on social media to self-regulate: We need to implement proven policies that protect health.” 

Vital Strategies called on governments to implement comprehensive marketing policies that span both digital and physical environments, particularly youth spaces where exposure is highest. 

It also called on governments to ban harmful industries from sponsoring sports events, and increase taxes on alcohol, tobacco and sweetened beverages to reduce consumption.

“One moment in a stadium can become millions of online impressions,” said Vital vice president Nandita Murukutla and Canary lead. “That’s how today’s marketing machines work: amplifying exposure across digital platforms where young people are constantly engaged. This isn’t passive advertising; it shapes behaviour. Governments must respond with urgency.”

Image Credits: Unsplash, Vital Strategies.