How responsible are brands for online safety on social platforms?
From The Campaign Podcast by Campaign
April 14, 2026 · 37 min · Season 4 · Episode 85
About this episode
This episode discusses the responsibility of brands for online safety on social platforms in light of recent legal rulings and government consultations.
In March, Meta and Google were found liable for designing addictive platforms that harmed a young user's mental health, a verdict both platforms disagree with and plan to appeal. Channel 4 also released its documentary called Molly vs The Machines about a 14 year old girl who took her own life after seeing harmful content online. Plus, the UK Government began a consultation for a potential ban for under 16s to improve digital safety, following Australia's ban in December, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer saying we “have to act”. Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and other platforms rely on advertising to make money. So whether a government ban or strict regulation of the platforms is the solution, this episode questions how much responsibility should the brands funding these platforms have. Jake Dubbins, managing director at Media Bounty and co-chair of Conscious Advertising Network, joins the episode alongside Campaign's UK editor Maisie McCabe and editor-in-chief Gideon Spanier. This episode is hosted by tech and multimedia editor Lucy Shelley. Further reading: Ian Russell challenges Instagram boss to “chat” at Cannes Lions Molly vs the Machines showed us that advertising…
People in this episode
Host: Lucy Shelley
Guests: Jake Dubbins, Maisie McCabe, Gideon Spanier
Topics covered
- online safety
- social platforms
- brand responsibility
- mental health
- digital regulation
Keywords
- Meta
- online safety
- mental health
- advertising
- digital regulation
- social media
- Molly vs The Machines
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Meta, Google
Books & works: Molly vs The Machines
Places: UK, Australia
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