From the halls of Silicon Valley to boardrooms everywhere, the verdict is in and it’s not sweet. Tech giants Meta and YouTube have been found liable for designing their platforms to be addictive, causing harm to Kaley, a 20-year-old whose mental health took a nosedive after using Instagram from age nine.

While some in the tech world are trying to brush this off as just another hiccough on the road to digital dominance, insiders fear it’s the start of something much bigger. The math might be telling companies they have mountains to climb – or at least $3m in damages per case.

Kaley's lawyer played the money game with a jar of M&Ms, each representing a billion dollars of Meta's worth, showing that even if the financial blow isn’t a showstopper now, the precedent sets an ominous tone for future cases. Meanwhile, the company stands firm, pointing to the complexity of teen mental health and their role in it.

The ripple effect extends beyond these companies. Former Twitter executive Bruce Daisley warns that tech firms are geared to grow faster than the market, meaning any regulation could be a serious threat. With billions spent on lobbying and PR, they'll fight hard to keep those dollars rolling in. But this isn't just about money; it’s about accountability.

The verdicts so far aren’t overwhelming, with non-unanimous decisions and lengthy deliberations. Yet the personal injury lawyers see this as a win that could snowball into something much larger. The tech firms might not be able to afford paying six million dollars per injured user, but they’ll certainly try to avoid setting such a precedent.