Law firms investigate possible Australian cases after US jury finds Meta and YouTube designed addictive products

<p>Courts in Australia may be willing to hold social media companies accountable for real-world harm, lawyers say</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2026/mar/26/australia-politics-live-penny-wong-iran-united-nations-war-fuel-crisis-cost-of-living-parliament-question-time-anthony-albanese-angus-taylor-ntwnfb">Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates</a></p></li><li><p>Get our <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/email-newsletters?CMP=cvau_sfl">breaking news email</a>, <a href="https://app.adjust.com/w4u7jx3">free app</a> or <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/series/full-story?CMP=cvau_sfl">daily news podcast</a></p></li></ul><p>Australian law firms are investigating the scope for future legal cases after a landmark US court ruling that found Meta and YouTube liable for deliberately designing addictive products.</p><p>A jury in Los Angeles <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/mar/25/jury-verdict-us-first-social-media-addiction-trial-meta-youtube">ruled against the two tech giants on Wednesday</a>, finding both to be negligent and having failed to provide adequate warnings about the potential dangers of their products.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/law/2026/mar/26/tech-companies-social-media-addictive-products-meta-youtube">Continue reading...</a>