Arizona experts warn of 'pleasure loop' after Meta, YouTube found liable for mental health issues

PHOENIX - A jury ruled that Meta and YouTube are liable for features on their platforms that contribute to mental health distress.

What we know:

The Los Angeles court awarded $6 million total in damages to K.G.M., the now-20-year-old who sued in the case. After nine days of deliberation, the jury found both companies liable for creating platforms with addictive features that contributed to the plaintiff's compulsive social media use.

Features like infinite feeds, autoplay videos, and essentially endless content. The verdict could serve as a bellwether for thousands of lawsuits filed on behalf of teenagers, states, school districts, and others.

"It's going to really decide how lawsuits are brought going forward with these types of issues," Criminal Defense Attorney Josh Kolsrud said. "It has given a roadmap, a framework of how to hold these social media companies accountable for their addictive qualities that inevitably lead a lot of young people to depression and anxiety and other mental health issues."

Local perspective:

Experts in the Valley say while this is a landmark ruling, it’s one that doesn’t surprise them given what they’ve seen in their line of work. 

Avery’s House is a residential mental health treatment center that specializes in caring for teens with everything from depression to bipolar disorder. While they believe social media can be damaging for people of all ages, they say teens are particularly at risk since their brains are still developing, and they do not fully understand the gravity of some of the things they’re seeing and sharing online. 

What they're saying:

Staff at Avery’s House have seen everything from body dysmorphia, to bullying, to self-harm being amplified by social media and have seen the damage it does to teens and families firsthand.

"When you start following something or you click on something and now you're seeing a video about self-harm, the algorithm is going to pick up on that, and it's going to start to spiral down this rabbit hole," said Liv Luvisi, Community Relations Specialist at Avery’s House.

They said it's too easy for teens to get addicted.

"It's the same pleasure and reward loop system in our brains that we get from doing drugs or drinking alcohol. It's the same effects from social media," said Kaleigh Telles, President of Avery’s House.

Staff say young people are particularly at risk, since their brains are still developing and they do not fully understand the gravity of some of the things they're seeing or sharing online.

"With the beauty culture, we're comparing ourselves to something that is unrealistic. But when you are looking at images over and over and over again, you start to believe that that's the norm and that you have to meet that norm," Camille Sitto, an Arizona Community Liaison, said.

Dig deeper:

Similar legal action was taken by Mesa Public Schools when they sued the parent companies of various social media apps, alleging they intentionally designed them to be addictive to children.

"I talk to Arizona parents all the time. I mean, the damages are very real. This isn't a case of, you know, lawyers looking for a case. This is a case of a problem that popped up in our society," Joseph Tann, an attorney representing Mesa Public Schools said. 

What's next:

The verdict was not unanimous, with only 10 out of 12 jurors agreeing. Both Meta and Google are exploring legal options.