Social media's mental health reckoning

"It's now down to Meta and Google's YouTube in the first bellwether case, which involves aplaintiffidentified in court documents as K.G.M. who alleges her social media addiction led to depression, anxiety and body dysmorphia. It's not known how much TikTok and Snapchat settled for in this lawsuit. But in a proceeding involving hundreds of cases, the companies are likely to go to trial sooner or later."

"Plaintiffs' core argument is that social media is a product that should be held to product liability standards, not a platform where Section 230 shields company executives from liability for design choices. Companies argue that age verification and parental controls are content-based, so Section 230 shields them from being liable for minors being exposed to harm. YouTube has said it's different than the case's other defendants because it is primarily a streaming platform, not a social media platform built for likes and interactions."

A bellwether trial has begun in a consolidated state proceeding combining hundreds of personal-injury cases from families and school districts. Plaintiffs allege platform design caused addiction, depression, anxiety and body dysmorphia in a plaintiff identified as K.G.M. Plaintiffs argue social media should be treated as a product subject to product-liability standards rather than protected by Section 230. Companies contend age verification and parental controls are content-based and thus shielded by Section 230. TikTok and Snapchat settled before trial; Meta and YouTube remain. Jury selection and testimony, including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, are scheduled.

Read at Axios