
430: Social Media on Trial
From Tech Policy Podcast by TechFreedom
February 26, 2026 · 52 min · Episode 430
About this episode
The episode discusses a trial in Los Angeles examining the responsibility of Instagram and YouTube for teen addiction and mental health issues.
A landmark bellwether trial in Los Angeles is testing whether Instagram and YouTube can be blamed for teen addiction and mental health problems. Clay Calvert (American Enterprise Institute) and Corbin Barthold (TechFreedom) review the many problems with letting plaintiffs’ lawyers demagogue social media platforms in front of a jury. Links: Social Media Addiction Lawsuits: The Deceptively Flawed Tobacco Analogy (https://tinyurl.com/mr44rt2m) Tech Policy Podcast 347: When Schools Scapegoat Social Media (https://tinyurl.com/2d4h54w7)
People in this episode
Guests: Clay Calvert, Corbin Barthold
Topics covered
- social media
- teen addiction
- mental health
- lawsuits
- legal issues
- technology policy
Keywords
- social media
- YouTube
- teen addiction
- mental health
- lawsuits
- legal responsibility
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: American Enterprise Institute, TechFreedom
Products: Instagram, YouTube
Places: Los Angeles
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