The world of social media was rocked this week after two groundbreaking trials found Meta’s Instagram and Google’s YouTube liable for targeting kids through addictive design features. The KMJ team covered the landmark cases from several angles. Take a listen:
Meta and Google say they will appeal. “Teen mental health is profoundly complex and cannot be linked to a single app,” a Meta spokesperson said. “We will continue to defend ourselves vigorously as every case is different, and we remain confident in our record of protecting teens online.”
The LA trial lasted roughly a month and included testimony from addiction experts, therapists, engineers, and tech executives, including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Arturo Bejar, who used to work at Instagram, said he warned Zuckerberg of the dangers it posed to kids several years ago. “It changed from a product you used to a product that uses you,” he told BBC Radio.
A New Mexico jury held Meta liable for nearly $400 million in civil damages after a trial where the state attorney general accused the Facebook and Instagram operators of failing to safeguard kids who use its apps from child predators.
Outside the courtroom, families who say their children were harmed by social media embraced as they celebrated the verdict, telling reporters they feel “vindicated.”
Gov. Newsom reacted after the verdicts were handed down, “These are two big, tectonic decisions that will have profound impact…Maybe they’ll reconsider their own participation in the world that they’ve created. It’s a moment of some deep accountability — and, I hope, reflection — on their part.”
