Meta, YouTube must pay $3M to woman who got hooked on apps as a child

A landmark ruling forces Meta and YouTube to pay $3M to a woman who proved their apps intentionally hooked her as a child, setting a precedent for platform accountability. Evidence shows she developed severe addiction symptoms after spending over 4,000 hours on the services before age 18. This penalty is 50% steeper than the average proposed in similar UK cases, and it directly outperforms #7 Supreme Court ruling on Sony by establishing a financial deterrent for algorithmic manipulation of minors.