A US jury rules that social media platforms should be held responsible for addiction among minors A jury in the Los Angeles County Superior Court of California ruled on the 25th that the American metaverse platform company and Google are responsible for a lawsuit related to the addiction of minors to social media, which has seriously affected the mental health of a young user. The two companies must compensate the plaintiff with $3 million. The plaintiff in this case is a 20-year-old California woman. She accused photo walls under the metaverse platform company and social media platforms such as Youtu under Google of enhancing user stickiness and dependence through features such as infinite scrolling, algorithm recommendations, and automatic video playback, inducing excessive use during adolescence, leading to symptoms such as depression, anxiety, and self harm. According to US media reports, the trial of this case began last month, and after more than 40 hours of deliberation, the jury ruled that the two companies should pay the plaintiff $3 million in compensatory damages. Among them, the metaverse platform company bears about 70% of the compensation amount, and the rest is borne by Google. In addition, the jury also found that the two companies' use of social platforms to harm minors was malicious, oppressive, or fraudulent, and recommended an additional $3 million in punitive damages. The final compensation amount will be determined by the judge. Both the metaverse platform company and Google have expressed disagreement with the ruling and are evaluating response plans. The case initially involved TikTok and Snape, but both companies had reached a settlement with the plaintiff before the trial. According to US media reports, the verdict in this case is a milestone, marking the first time a jury has found that tech companies are at least partially responsible for the dangers faced by children and teenagers due to excessive addiction to social media. The trial outcome may have an impact on thousands of merger lawsuits against social media companies. Xinhua News Agency