“社交媒体成瘾”诉讼：Meta和YouTube被判有责

今天你练听力了吗？

🤔️小作业：

1. Based on the information in the article, the upcoming federal cases in Oakland differ from the Los Angeles trial primarily in their

A. legal basis for the claims and the type of plaintiffs involved.

B. focus on determining the exact amount of damages to be paid.

C. reliance on testimony from very young social media users.

D. potential to result in criminal charges against company executives.

无注释原文：

What to Know About the Social Media Addiction Trials

From: The New York Times

On Wednesday, a Los Angeles jury held Meta and YouTube liable for claims their platforms are addictive and have harmed young users, and ordered them to pay a combined $6 million in damages.

The verdict was the first in a series of trials expected this year in which plaintiffs' lawyers are testing a novel legal theory claiming that Meta, YouTube, Snap and TikTok caused personal injury through defective products.

Thousands of individuals, school districts and state attorneys general have filed similar lawsuits. This week's win could open the door to an avalanche of similar claims.

These cases test the argument that social media was built to be addictive, like cigarettes or casino slot machines.

The lawsuits claim that social media features like infinite scrolling, algorithmic recommendations, notifications and videos that play automatically lead to compulsive use. The plaintiffs contend that the resulting addiction has led to problems like depression, anxiety, eating disorders and self-harm, including suicide.

The cases have drawn comparisons to those against Big Tobacco in the 1990s, when companies like Philip Morris and R.J. Reynolds were accused of hiding information about the harms of cigarettes.

What was the first lawsuit about?

The first plaintiff was a 20-year-old woman from California identified as K.G.M. in California Superior Court in Los Angeles County.

K.G.M. created a YouTube account at age 8, then joined Instagram, which is owned by Meta, at 9. In her lawsuit, she claimed she became addicted to the social media sites as a child and experienced anxiety, depression and body-image issues as a result.

K.G.M.'s lawyer said during opening statements that Instagram and YouTube's apps were built like “digital casinos” that profited off addictive behavior.

The trial lasted five weeks, and jurors deliberated for more than a week.

On Wednesday, all but two of the jurors determined that Meta and YouTube were negligent in designing their platforms, and that their products harmed K.G.M.

More trials will follow?

Yes, judges have bundled some of the strongest cases among the thousands of suits that were filed to act as bellwethers. A total of nine cases are expected to be heard in the series of trials in Los Angeles, including K.G.M.'s.

This summer, a separate set of federal cases will go to trial in Oakland, Calif., at the U.S. District Court of Northern California. In that series of cases, school districts and states plan to argue that social media is a public nuisance and that they have had to shoulder the costs of treating a generation of youths suffering from addictive social media use.

In another case, a New Mexico jury on Tuesday found Meta liable for violating state law by failing to safeguard users of its apps from child predators, in a case brought by the state attorney general.

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注：完整题目见本文开头；中文文本为机器翻译，仅供参考

含注释全文：

What to Know About the Social Media Addiction Trials

From: The New York Times

On Wednesday, a Los Angeles jury held Meta and YouTube liable for claims their platforms are addictive and have harmed young users, and ordered them to pay a combined $6 million in damages.

周三，洛杉矶的一个陪审团裁定，Meta和YouTube应对它们的平台具有成瘾性并伤害年轻用户的指控承担责任，并责令两家公司合计赔偿600万美元。

jury /ˈdʒʊə.ri/ 1）奥运会裁判是怎么选出来的？文中出现，表示“（竞赛的）裁判团，评判委员会”，英文解释为“a group of people chosen to decide the winner of a competition”

2）表示“陪审团”，英文解释为“a group of people who have been chosen to listen to all the facts in a trial in a law court and to decide if a person is guilty or not guilty, or if a claim has been proved”如：members of the jury 陪审团成员。

liable /ˈlaɪ.ə.bəl/ 表示“承担责任的；负有（法律）责任的”，英文解释为“having (legal) responsibility for something or someone”举个🌰：The law holds parents liable if a child does not attend school. 法律规定孩子不上学父母要负责任。

The verdict was the first in a series of trials expected this year in which plaintiffs' lawyers are testing a novel legal theory claiming that Meta, YouTube, Snap and TikTok caused personal injury through defective products.

该判决是今年一系列审判中的首个结果，原告律师在这些审判中正在测试一种新的法律理论，即Meta、YouTube、Snap和TikTok因其有缺陷的产品造成了人身伤害。

verdict /ˈvɜː.dɪkt/ 1）表示“（经过检验或认真考虑后的）决定，结论，意见”，英文解释为“a decision that you make or an opinion that you give about sth, after you have tested it or considered it carefully”举个🌰：The doctor's verdict was that he was entirely healthy. 这名医生的判断是他完全是健康的。

2）另一个常用含义，表示“裁定，裁决，裁断”（In a court of law, the verdict is the decision that is given by the jury or judge at the end of a trial.）

🎬电影《真实故事》（True Story）中的台词提到：And the verdict was you're a liar. 而判决是，你是个骗子。

trial /traɪəl/ 可以作动词，也可以作名词，1）表示“审讯，审理，审判”，英文解释为“A trial is a formal meeting in a law court, at which a judge and jury listen to evidence and decide whether a person is guilty of a crime.”举个🌰：I have the right to a trial with a jury of my peers. 我有权要求由和我一样的平民组成的陪审团参加审判。

2）表示“（对能力、质量、性能等的）试验，试用”，英文解释为“the process of testing the ability, quality or performance of sb/sth, especially before you make a final decision about them”

区分：

📍trail作名词则表示“小路，小径”，如：a forest/mountain trail 林间/山间小道，以及“臭迹；踪迹；痕迹；蛛丝马迹，线索”等意思（the smell or series of marks left by a person, animal, or thing as it moves along；various pieces of information that together show where someone you are searching for has gone）举个🌰：The dogs are trained to follow the trail left by the fox. 这些狗经过特别的训练，能够追踪狐狸留下的气味。

📍plaintiff /ˈpleɪn.tɪf/ 表示“起诉人，原告”，英文解释为“someone who brings a legal action against another person in a court of law”

📍defendant表示“被告”，英文解释为“the person in a court of law who has been accused of doing something illegal”

defective /dɪˈfek.tɪv/ 表示“有缺陷的，有毛病的，有问题的”，英文解释为“Something that is defective has a fault in it and does not work correctly.”如：defective brakes 有问题的制动装置。

Thousands of individuals, school districts and state attorneys general have filed similar lawsuits. This week's win could open the door to an avalanche of similar claims.

数以千计的个人、学区以及州检察长已经提起类似诉讼。本周的这一胜诉可能为大量类似索赔打开大门。

attorney /əˈtɜːnɪ/ 作名词，表示“律师”，英文解释为“In the United States, an attorney or attorney-at-law is a lawyer.”如：a prosecuting attorney 公诉律师。

district attorney /ˌdɪs.trɪkt əˈtɜː.ni/ 表示“地方检察官”，英文解释为“a lawyer whose job is to represent the government in a particular area of the US”

avalanche /ˈævəˌlɑːntʃ/ 1）表示“雪崩，山崩”，英文解释为“a large mass of snow, ice, and rocks that falls down the side of a mountain”

2）表示“大量；突然到来的一大批”，英文解释为“too many things that arrive or happen at the same time”举个🌰：We were swamped by an avalanche of letters/phone calls/complaints. 大批的来信/电话/投诉让我们疲于应付。We received an avalanche of letters in reply to our advertisement. 我们在登出广告后收到了雪片般飞来的大批答复信件。

These cases test the argument that social media was built to be addictive, like cigarettes or casino slot machines.

这些案件试图论证，社交媒体的设计本身就带有成瘾性，就像香烟或老虎机一样。

casino /kəˈsiːnəʊ/ 表示“赌场”，英文解释为“A casino is a building or room where people play gambling games such as roulette.”

slot machine /ˈslɒt məˌʃiːn/ 表示“投币式自动赌博机，吃角子老虎机”，英文解释为“a machine that you try to win money from by putting coins into it and operating it, often by pressing a button or pulling a handle”

The lawsuits claim that social media features like infinite scrolling, algorithmic recommendations, notifications and videos that play automatically lead to compulsive use. The plaintiffs contend that the resulting addiction has led to problems like depression, anxiety, eating disorders and self-harm, including suicide.

这些诉讼称，无限滚动、算法推荐、通知提醒以及自动播放的视频等社交媒体功能导致了强迫性使用。原告认为，由此产生的成瘾已经引发了抑郁、焦虑、饮食失调以及包括自杀在内的自残行为等问题。

表示“无限的，无边的；极大的”，英文解释为“without limits; extremely large or great”举个🌰：The universe is theoretically infinite. 从理论上来讲，宇宙是无边无际的。

作名词，scroll /skrəʊl/ 表示“长卷纸，卷轴”，英文解释为“a long roll of paper or similar material with usually official writing on it”举个🌰：The ancient Egyptians stored information on scrolls. 古埃及人把信息记载在卷轴上。

作动词，表示“滚动；滚屏”，英文解释为“to move text or other information on a computer screen in order to see a different part of it”举个🌰：Scroll to the end of the document. 滚动至文件的最后。

🎬电影《兔子洞》（Rabbit Hole）中的台词提到：Scroll down with your finger. 用手指向下滑动。

algorithmic /ˌæl.ɡəˈrɪð.mɪk/ 表示“算法的”，英文解释为“connected with or using algorithms (= mathematical instructions for calculating an answer to a problem)”如：the algorithmic analysis of survey data 调查数据的算法分析。

compulsive /kəmˈpʌl.sɪv/ 表示“难以抑制的；强烈冲动引起的；强迫性的；强制性的”，英文解释为“doing something a lot and unable to stop doing it”如：a compulsive liar/thief/eater 撒谎成性的人/惯偷/饮食无节制的人。

另一个含义是形容电影、戏、体育项目、书等“引人入胜的，欲罢不能的”，英文解释为“If a film, play, sports event, book, etc. is compulsive, it is so interesting or exciting that you do not want to stop watching or reading it.”举个🌰：Her latest book is compulsive reading/a compulsive read. 她的新书让人难以释卷。

The cases have drawn comparisons to those against Big Tobacco in the 1990s, when companies like Philip Morris and R.J. Reynolds were accused of hiding information about the harms of cigarettes.

这些案件被拿来与上世纪90年代针对烟草巨头的诉讼相提并论，当时菲利普莫里斯和雷诺烟草等公司被指控隐瞒了香烟危害的相关信息。

What was the first lawsuit about? 第一起诉讼是什么案件？

The first plaintiff was a 20-year-old woman from California identified as K.G.M. in California Superior Court in Los Angeles County.

首位原告是一名来自加州的20岁女性，在洛杉矶县高等法院的诉讼文件中被称为K.G.M.。

K.G.M. created a YouTube account at age 8, then joined Instagram, which is owned by Meta, at 9. In her lawsuit, she claimed she became addicted to the social media sites as a child and experienced anxiety, depression and body-image issues as a result.

K.G.M.在八岁时创建了一个YouTube账户，九岁时又加入了Meta旗下的Instagram。她在诉讼中称，自己从小就对这些社交媒体网站成瘾，并因此经历了焦虑、抑郁和身材焦虑问题。

K.G.M.'s lawyer said during opening statements that Instagram and YouTube's apps were built like “digital casinos” that profited off addictive behavior.

K.G.M.的律师在开庭陈述中表示，Instagram和YouTube的应用被设计成类似“数字赌场”，通过用户的成瘾行为获利。

The trial lasted five weeks, and jurors deliberated for more than a week.

该审判持续了五周，陪审团审议了超过一周时间。

deliberate /dɪˈlɪb.ər.ət/ 作动词，表示“仔细考虑；深思熟虑；反复思考”，英文解释为“to think very carefully about sth, usually before making a decision”举个🌰：The jury deliberated for five days before finding him guilty. 陪审团认真讨论了五天才裁定他有罪。

作形容词，表示“（常指坏事）有意的，故意的，蓄意的”，英文解释为“(often of something bad) intentional or planned”如：a deliberate attack/insult/lie 蓄意攻击/侮辱/说谎。

On Wednesday, all but two of the jurors determined that Meta and YouTube were negligent in designing their platforms, and that their products harmed K.G.M.

周三，除两名陪审员外，其余陪审员均裁定Meta和YouTube在平台设计上存在疏忽，其产品对K.G.M.造成了伤害。

表示“疏忽的，失职的；造成过失的；随便的”，英文解释为“not being careful or giving enough attention to people or things that are your responsibility”如：grossly negligent 严重失职，举个🌰：He waved his hand in a negligent gesture. 他漫不经心地挥了挥手。The judge said that the teacher had been negligent in allowing the children to swim in dangerous water. 法官说允许孩子们在危险水域游泳是教师的失职。

More trials will follow? 还会有更多审判吗？

Yes, judges have bundled some of the strongest cases among the thousands of suits that were filed to act as bellwethers. A total of nine cases are expected to be heard in the series of trials in Los Angeles, including K.G.M.'s.

会的。法官已从数千起已提起的诉讼中挑选出一些最有代表性的案件，作为标杆案件进行审理。预计在洛杉矶的这一系列审判中将审理共九起案件，其中就包括K.G.M.的案件。

bundle /ˈbʌn.dəl/ 1）表示“推搡；匆匆送走；乱堆；乱塞”，英文解释为“to push or put someone or something somewhere quickly and roughly”举个🌰：He bundled his clothes into the washing machine. 他把衣服塞进洗衣机里。

2）表示“（计算机软件等的）捆绑销售；搭售”，英文解释为“to include an extra computer program or other product with something that you sell”举个🌰：The system came bundled with a word processor, spreadsheet, and graphics program. 这个系统销售时还外带文字处理、电子制表和图像制作软件。

此处表示“（将案件）集中处理，合并审理”，引申自“乱堆；乱塞”的含义。

bellwether /ˈbelˌweð.ər/ 表示“前导；领头者”，英文解释为“a particular event, result, etc. that usually shows how a more general situation will develop or change”举个🌰：The report is viewed as a bellwether for economic trends. 这份报告被视为经济走势的风向标。

This summer, a separate set of federal cases will go to trial in Oakland, Calif., at the U.S. District Court of Northern California. In that series of cases, school districts and states plan to argue that social media is a public nuisance and that they have had to shoulder the costs of treating a generation of youths suffering from addictive social media use.

今年夏天，另一组联邦案件将在加利福尼亚州奥克兰的美国北加州联邦地区法院开庭审理。在这一系列案件中，学区和各州计划提出社交媒体构成了公害，而学区和州政府不得不承担治疗一代因沉迷社交媒体而受害的年轻人的费用。

nuisance /ˈnjuː.səns/ 表示“恼人的事物（或人）；麻烦的事物（或人）”，英文解释为“something or someone that annoys you or causes trouble for you”举个🌰：I've forgotten my umbrella - what a nuisance! 我忘了带伞——真讨厌！

In another case, a New Mexico jury on Tuesday found Meta liable for violating state law by failing to safeguard users of its apps from child predators, in a case brought by the state attorney general.

在另一起由新墨西哥州总检察长提起的案件中，该州的一个陪审团周二裁定，Meta因未能保护应用程序的用户免受儿童性侵犯者的侵害，违反了州法律，应承担相应责任。

1）表示“尾随伤害他人者，尾随作案者”，英文解释为“someone who follows people in order to harm them or commit a crime against them”，如：a sexual predator 尾随作案的色魔；

2）表示“捕食性动物，食肉动物”，英文解释为“an animal that hunts, kills, and eats other animals”

📍《经济学人》（The Economist）一篇讲述病毒引发大流行病的文章中提到：Humans think of themselves as the world's apex predators. 人类自认为是世界上的顶级捕食者。

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