Parents, teens, doctors, and educators have long warned that social media can harm young people’s mental health. It can lead to problems like addiction, eating disorders, and even suicide. Recently, two juries in California and New Mexico showed they are listening.
In Los Angeles, a jury found Meta (the parent company of Facebook and Instagram) and YouTube responsible for harming children using their platforms. In New Mexico, the jury said Meta was aware of the dangers and failed to protect kids from online exploitation.
Sacha Haworth, executive director of The Tech Oversight Project, remarked, “The era of Big Tech invincibility is over.” This statement reflects a growing concern that tech companies have ignored warnings about their platforms. For years, they insisted that issues stemming from social media were societal problems, rather than consequences of how their platforms operate.
Meta’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, downplayed questions about whether their products might be addictive, saying, “I’m not sure what to say to that.”
These verdicts are a sign that the public is ready to hold these companies accountable. However, it’s unclear if Meta and Google will change their ways; they’ve indicated intentions to appeal the decisions.
Arturo Béjar, a former Meta engineer who raised concerns internally for years, believes that legal actions level the playing field. He said real change may require regulations. “When an attorney general or the FTC gets involved, it compels companies to act,” he noted.
The lawsuits differ in important ways. In New Mexico, the state Attorney General created evidence by posing as children on social media to show how Meta failed to act against exploitation. The Los Angeles case involved a single plaintiff, KGM, who argued that Meta and YouTube designed their platforms to be addictive for young users. This case aligns with a wave of lawsuits aimed at tech companies, similar to previous actions taken against Big Tobacco.
What sets these cases apart is their focus on product design. They bypassed Section 230, which typically protects internet companies from liability for user-generated content. Nikolas Guggenberger, a law professor, noted that this could lead to significant shifts in how social media platforms operate.
Experts see a change in public opinion. A 2025 Pew Research Center poll found that 48% of teens believe social media harms their peers—up from 32% in 2022. This changing attitude suggests that awareness of social media’s risks is growing.
Looking ahead, technology continues to evolve. Sarah Kreps, a professor at Cornell University, points out that while regulations can address current issues, new challenges will always emerge, whether from AI or other technologies. “Where there’s demand, there will be supply,” she says.
Social media’s impacts on mental health are only beginning to be understood, and the recent court rulings mark a critical step in holding tech companies accountable for their designs and choices. These developments may eventually lead to safer online environments for young users while making companies rethink their practices.
For more insights on this topic, you can visit Pew Research Center.
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