About this episode

Newt discusses a landmark legal case in California where Meta and YouTube were found liable for addiction-related harm to children and young adults.

Newt talks with attorneys Joseph VanZandt of the Beasley Allen Law Firm, and Mark Lanier of The Lanier Law Firm about the landmark case in California where Meta and YouTube were deemed liable for addiction-related harm to children and young adults. They represented the plaintiff in the case, known as K.G.M. The case was initiated after former Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen leaked internal documents showing that Meta was aware of the harms its platforms were causing to young users, but prioritized growth over user safety. The case was structured as individual lawsuits rather than a class action, with the judge selecting 9 bellwether cases to go to trial. The K.G.M. case was the first one selected. The key evidence used in the case was internal documents and depositions from current and former employees of the tech companies, which showed intentional efforts to design addictive features targeting children. The lawyers argued that the tech companies' actions constituted addiction, drawing parallels to the tobacco industry, and presented expert testimony to establish the clinical criteria for addiction. The verdict found Meta and YouTube liable, marking a significant legal…

People in this episode

Host: Newt

Guests: Joseph VanZandt, Mark Lanier

Topics covered

• social media
• addiction
• legal case
• children's safety
• technology

Keywords

• Meta
• YouTube
• K.G.M. case
• Frances Haugen
• addictive features
• tobacco industry
• expert testimony
• legal precedent
• transparency
• regulation

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Meta, YouTube

Places: California

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