The Social-Media Shakedown Begins

The verdict against Meta and YouTube is a victory for the plaintiffs bar, not for children or society

WSJ editorial. Excerpts:

"Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act protects internet platforms from being held liable for harm caused by user-generated content."

"the link between youth mental health and social media is complicated. Take the 20-year-old plaintiff identified by the initials K.G.M. in the Wednesday case. She said she started using YouTube at age six and Instagram when she was nine. Both require users to be at least 13 years old, so she broke platform rules and bypassed controls."

"are platforms supposed to prohibit users from posting photos that might make someone feel depressed or insecure?"

"She was also exposed to domestic abuse as a young child"

"parenting plays a critical role in mediating and mitigating the impact of social media. Most children who use social media don’t experience severe problems."

"it’s hard if not impossible to prove that social media caused any given individual’s troubles"

"The evidence presented at trial that executives purposefully designed the platforms to be addictive was weak."

"companies aren’t required to design products to prevent abuse or excessive consumption."