Meta and Google lose historic addiction trial

Big Tech’s Big Tobacco Moment: The $6M Verdict Against Meta & YouTubewo days ago, the social media landscape changed forever. On March 25, 2026, a Los Angeles jury found Meta and Google-owned YouTube liable for negligent platform design that resulted in the addiction and mental health crisis of a young user. In this episode, we break down the landmark $6 million verdict in the "bellwether" case of Kaley G.M..We dive into the internal documents revealed during the trial, showing that executives knew their features—like infinite scroll, autoplay, and beauty filters—were hurting kids but chose profits instead. We analyze how the plaintiff’s legal team successfully bypassed Section 230 by focusing on "defective design" rather than content. With over 1,600 similar lawsuits pending, is this the end of the unregulated era for Instagram and YouTube? Plus, we discuss the separate $375 million fine Meta just received in New Mexico for failing to protect children from online predators.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/scitech-brief--6846358/support.This episode includes AI-generated content.