Maryland AG Statement on Meta and YouTube Verdicts Harming Children

AG: Maryland News

Filed March 26th, 2026

Detected March 26th, 2026

Summary

Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown issued a statement following landmark verdicts against Meta and YouTube for designing social media platforms that exploit children and harm their mental health. The verdicts are seen as a reckoning for an industry that prioritizes profit over young people's well-being, and Maryland is part of similar multistate litigation.

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What changed

Attorney General Anthony G. Brown of Maryland has issued a statement celebrating recent jury verdicts against Meta and YouTube in California and New Mexico, which found the companies liable for designing social media platforms that exploit children and cause serious mental health harms, including anxiety, depression, and addiction. The Attorney General emphasized that these harms are not accidental but are the result of deliberate design choices prioritizing profit over the well-being of young users. This statement aligns with Maryland's ongoing participation in multistate federal litigation against Meta, initiated in October 2023, which alleges the company knowingly designed Instagram and Facebook with addictive features while falsely assuring the public of their safety for young users.

While this statement itself does not impose new direct obligations, it signals strong regulatory and legal scrutiny on social media companies regarding child exploitation and mental health impacts. Compliance officers at technology companies, particularly those with social media platforms targeting minors, should review their platform design, data usage, and marketing practices in light of these verdicts and ongoing litigation. The statement implies a continued focus on holding these companies accountable, suggesting potential future regulatory actions or increased enforcement in this area. Companies should ensure their practices align with consumer protection laws and ethical considerations for child users, especially concerning addictive features and mental health risks.

What to do next

Review platform design for addictive features targeting minors
Assess marketing practices related to child user safety
Ensure compliance with consumer protection laws concerning child well-being

Source document (simplified)

Statement from Attorney General Brown on Landmark Verdicts Against Meta and YouTube for Harming Children

Published: 3/26/2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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Attorney General Anthony G. Brown today issued the following statement after juries in New Mexico and California returned verdicts against Meta and a jury in California returned a verdict against YouTube for designing social media platforms that exploit children and cause serious harm to their mental health.

“The verdict against Meta and YouTube in California, along with the verdict against Meta in New Mexico, are landmark moments in the fight to protect our children from social media platforms that are designed to exploit them. The anxiety, depression, and addiction that millions of young people are experiencing are not accidents — they are the result of deliberate design choices made by companies that put profit over young people's mental health. These verdicts are a long-overdue reckoning for an industry that has spent years exploiting the vulnerabilities of children while telling parents there was nothing to worry about. Maryland is part of similar multistate federal litigation against Meta because every child across our State and nation deserves protection from platforms that treat them as a commodity and exploit their vulnerabilities. Our children's wellbeing should not be for sale."

In October 2023, Attorney General Brown and a bipartisan coalition attorneys general filed lawsuits against Meta Platforms Inc., alleging that the company knowingly designed Instagram and Facebook with addictive features, while falsely assuring the public that these features are safe and suitable for young users. Attorney General Brown's case remains ongoing.