430: Social Media on Trial

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
  • Instagram
  • 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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