A jury in Los Angeles, CA this past week held Meta (Facebook) and YouTube liable for a 20-year-old woman’s personal life difficulties. The legal theory upon which the jury based its verdict was a novel, likely stretched, use of a product liability law. The $6 million verdict against the two companies is the first of approximately 3,000 lawsuits filed in California courts that seek to blame and hold responsible social media companies for the social and personal difficulties of young people. The multimillion-dollar award may increase significantly if jurors determine that the companies acted with malice or highly egregious conduct. School districts and more than 40 state Attorneys General have also brought suits to “compensate” young people for their social ills.