Ep 44: They Knew and They Profited Anyway with Matthew Bergman

Rachel speaks with Matthew Bergman, founding attorney of the Social Media Victims Law Center, about the landmark KGM verdict — the first social media addiction case in the United States to reach a jury. In March 2026, a Los Angeles jury found Meta and YouTube negligent in the design of their platforms and awarded $6 million in damages to a young woman whose mental health was seriously harmed by her use of Instagram and YouTube beginning at age six. Matthew has spent four years building the legal case that made this moment possible, and the theory at its center is straightforward: this was never about content. It was about a product engineered to be addictive — one that shows kids not what they want to see, but what they cannot look away from.   The conversation covers Section 230 and how the product liability approach found a path around it, the eggshell plaintiff doctrine and why blaming the victim failed in court, and what the verdict actually changes for the thousands of similar cases still working through the courts. Matthew also speaks directly to clinicians: ask about social media. When you see anxiety, depression, eating disorders, or suicidality in young patients, social media needs to be part of the assessment. The youth mental health crisis started in 2012 — when content began being fed to kids algorithmically — and the research establishing a causal relationship has only grown stronger since.   Resources Mentioned:   Articles Referenced: Research Points to How Companies Could Make Social Media Less Addictive for Teens — NPR (March 2026): https://www.npr.org/2026/03/27/nx-s1-5763017/social-media-teens-addictive-design Jury Finds Meta and YouTube Negligent in Landmark Lawsuit on Social Media Safety — NBC News (March 2026): https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/verdict-reached-landmark-social-media-addiction-trial-rcna263421 Social Media Addiction Lawsuit Update — Social Media Victims Law Center: https://socialmediavictims.org/social-media-lawsuits/   Connect with Matthew Bergman: Social Media Victims Law Center: https://socialmediavictims.org   Connect with The Mental Health Evolution: Website: https://www.traumaspecialiststraining.com/mental-health-evolution-podcast Instagram: /thementalhealthevolution/ LinkedIn: /the-mental-health-evolution Facebook: /TheMentalHealthEvolution   Music by Zach Harrison