Newsom: Social Media Verdict Should Be ‘moment Of Reckoning’ For Big Tech

SACRAMENTO, California — Gavin Newsom said Wednesday that jurors’ ruling against Meta and YouTube in a landmark Los Angeles social media addiction trial is a “moment of reckoning” for California’s world-leading tech industry.

“I think we have to renegotiate our contract with Big Tech,” Newsom told reporters here. “Maybe they'll reconsider their own participation in the world that they've created. It's a moment of some deep accountability — and, I hope, reflection — on their part.”

Newsom called the LA verdict, along with a similar ruling against Meta in New Mexico a day earlier, “two big, tectonic decisions that will have profound impact.”

“I hope it's a moment of reckoning,” he added.

The comments from the Democratic governor and likely 2028 presidential contender are a striking rebuke of one of California’s premier industries, delivered by a politician viewed by many in the tech sector as an ally. Meta and Google, among other social media and AI giants, have for years leaned on Newsom to shut down some of state lawmakers’ most far-reaching proposed regulations.

With his remarks, Newsom joined a chorus of politicians from both parties praising Wednesday’s verdict against social media companies. In Washington, Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) argued that the verdict underscores the need to pass stricter safety protections for kids online.

So did California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat who just this week compared tech giants’ safety record to Big Tobacco.

“Meta is prioritizing profits over the safety of children and violating consumer protection laws,” Bonta said in a statement, singling out the tech giant behind Instagram and Facebook. “We look forward to holding Meta accountable in our own upcoming August trial in the Bay Area."

In their verdict, jurors decided in favor of the plaintiff — a now 20-year-old California woman identified as K.G.M. in Los Angeles Superior Court documents — finding that potent design features of YouTube, Instagram and Facebook fueled her nonstop use as a teenager, exacerbating depression and suicidal ideation. The verdict stipulates that Meta and YouTube must pay K.G.M. $6 million in total damages.

It’s the first time major social media companies have been found liable by a U.S. jury for creating addictive products. And it’s a bellwether for thousands of similar trials pending in state and federal court that could collectively charge social media giants billions of dollars in damages.

The verdict comes on the heels of another ruling Tuesday in New Mexico where a jury found Meta liable for endangering children and misleading the public about the safety of its platforms.

Meta has vowed to appeal both rulings, and YouTube has said it will appeal the LA verdict.

California has often been at the forefront of kids’ online safety protections. Newsom earlier this year was one of the first governors and likely 2028 contenders to call for social media restrictions for kids under 16, in the vein of an Australian teen ban that went into effect last year. He’s previously signed bills that would mandate stringent kids’ privacy protections for social media, and require parental consent before kids view algorithmic feeds like TikTok’s “For You” page.

Tech industry groups are suing California to block two of the laws Newsom signed, arguing they violate First Amendment speech rights.

“We reached out to the leadership and CEOs of these companies. I told them, it's a big mistake that they made. These are reasonable bills. These are rational bills,” Newsom said. “And now juries are going to hold them to a kind of accountability that is long overdue.”

“We're going to continue to lean in,” he added. “I hope they'll reconsider.”

Katherine Long contributed to this report.