LOS ANGELES, California: In a US$6 million verdict that will serve ‌as a bellwether for numerous similar cases, Meta and Alphabet's Google were found negligent by a jury for designing social media platforms that are harmful to young people.

Meta was found liable for $4.2 million in damages, and Google for $1.8 million, small amounts for two of the world's most valuable companies, each with annual capital spending over $100 billion.

The case is about a 20-year-old woman, known in court only by her first name, Kaley, who was a minor when the case started. She said she became addicted to YouTube (by Google) and Instagram (by Meta) at a young age because of features designed to keep users hooked, like "infinite scroll," which keeps showing new posts.

The jury found that Google and Meta were careless in how they designed these apps and failed to warn users about the risks.

The woman's lawyer said the decision sends a strong message to the entire industry that companies will now be held responsible.

Google and Meta disagree with the decision and plan to challenge it in a higher court.

After the news, Meta's shares rose slightly by 0.3 percent, and Alphabet (Google's parent company) went up by 0.2 percent.

In the U.S., laws usually protect social media companies from being held liable for content on their platforms, but this case focused on how the apps were designed rather than the content itself.

An analyst said this decision is a setback for both companies. He added that the legal process may take a long time with more cases and appeals, but it could eventually force companies to add safety measures, which might slow their growth.

Snap and TikTok were also part of the case, but they reached private settlements with the woman before the trial began. The details of those settlements were not shared.